


Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat

by writeanddontstop



Category: Henry Cavill - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, occasional smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:42:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 77,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27130088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeanddontstop/pseuds/writeanddontstop
Summary: Veterinarian Olivia Tran has zero time for bullshit. After becoming a mom at age twenty three, the one thing she wants is a good life for her daughter Vanessa. Her ex didn’t want anything to do with her nor the baby and she decided that man are officially banned out of her life. But then she meets Henry Cavill at her clinic and her ban slowly starts to crumble apart. Henry on the other hand is looking for one thing: a family. And when he meets Olivia Tran, he finds just that.
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Asian Original Characters, Henry Cavill/Olivia Tran, Henry Cavill/Original Character(s), Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

For fuck’s sake, I can still smell the fluids from those anal glands I have been popping all day. Even when you wear gloves every single time, that penetrating smell will just stay with you.

After a long day at the clinic, I can finally call it a day. Of course, I’m on call tonight, but other than that, I can relax now. Working as a vet has always been a dream of mine and now, at the ripe age of twenty nine, I have managed to become doctor Olivia Tran, one of the loved veterinarians here.

‘See you tomorrow, Belle,’ I yell to my best friend and other veterinarian at this clinic.

‘You on call tonight?’ Belle asks.

‘I am.’

‘If you need to go, I can’t watch Vanessa tonight,’ she tells me, while she is checking the ears of a pug, who seems to have severe breathing problems from the looks of it. ‘I have a date.’

‘No worries,’ I say to her with a smile. ‘I probably don’t need to go anyways. Hasn’t happened in the past months, so I highly doubt that something will change tonight. Please let me know how your date went tomorrow.’

Belle, the gorgeous brunette with legs for days and blue eyes as big as Rapunzel, flashes me a bright smile. ‘Of course, dear. Give Vanessa a big kiss for me, will you?’

‘Will do.’ I walk out of the clinic, give a sweet Jack Russell a scratch behind his ear and check my watch. I have twenty minutes before I have to pick up Vanessa, but it’s a fifteen minute walk if I hurry and if I just stroll around, it’s twenty minutes. Can I manage to buy myself some cookies or should I wait after I picked her up?

I think I would have a very happy six year old if I waited with the cookies after I picked her up from school.

I bury my hands in the pockets of my coat. Yesterday it was official: the summer has passed and autumn is here. I always love it when I see the green leaves slowly turning orange or brown and cover the pavement with a blanket of crunchy leaves. It’s Vanessa’s favorite season as well, but that’s mostly because it’s her birthday on November 12th.

I never planned on becoming a mother at twenty three. I never really gave it a big thought, the idea of having kids. In the far far far future I might’ve become one, but I always thought I had more cool aunt potential.

The day I found out I was pregnant, I was scared, but since I was in a pretty serious relationship with Wesley for almost three years, the man I thought I’d end up marrying, I figured we would make this work. We would marry, have this kid and live happily ever after, maybe even have a few more.

But Wesley broke up with me when I told him about the pregnancy and that I was going to keep the baby. I went to my parents for comfort, thinking that they and my two brothers would be supportive of this. We got through the time that I was partying all night, getting tattoos and smoked some weed out of my window. I mean, we would be able to handle this right?

But my parents kicked me out when I told them I was pregnant and I was going to keep the baby. ‘But what about your degree?’ I can still hear my mother say those words, but what was maybe the worst thing, was seeing my brothers turning their backs to me. Their literal backs towards me. ‘You worked so hard and you just got a job as a vet,’ my mom began to yell.

To be fair, I was their only hope. My brothers dropped out of high school and are now sort of working in construction, but they can hardly finish a job ever. My mother never worked a day in her life and my father was a lawyer. I told them that I could work something out, with a bit of help of them, but my mother just pushed me out of their house and told me to never bother them again, if I was going to have a kid out of wedlock.

So I had to do it by myself. I had to find a place for me and the baby to stay, but thankfully Belle was already working at the vet and decided that I needed a bit of help. I could stay with her, even after the baby was born. Belle went with me to the ultrasounds and when I went into labor, she was right there with me.

Belle is Vanessa’s one and only aunt and my best friend. When you get pregnant and not only your boyfriend leaves, your family disappears out of your life, you also notice how many people despise you. My friends from college all of the sudden seemed to have fallen off the earth and never checked in with me.

Now I have a happy six year old, a nice home for the two of us and a baby sitter Belle, who is becoming less and less available, since she has discovered the world of Tinder, because she wants a boyfriend.

I hear the bell ring when I step onto the schoolyard. It doesn’t take long before I see my daughter running towards me. Her baby blue coat is hanging open, her backpack in her hand and a rolled paper in the other. She insisted on wearing her boots to school today, but leave it to her to cover them in mud.

Entirely.

I catch her when she jumps in my arms. ‘I missed you, my lovely lady,’ I say to her.

Vanessa peppers my face with kisses, something she always does when I pick her up from school. I brush the hairs out of her face, including the sweet bangs that she insisted on having. Originally she wanted the same haircut as me from when I was the same age as her, but since I have severe traumas of the bowl cut, I had to spare her that and opt for some sweet thin bangs.

‘Mommy,’ she says, ‘I missed you a lot.’

‘Well, you want to go to the store, so we can buy some cookies?’ I ask her. ‘And maybe tonight we can order a pizza.’

‘Yes, yes, yes!’ She gives me a tight hug.

Sometimes I doubt my parenting skills, especially when I look around the schoolyard. I watch those mothers who are housewives, with very handsome husbands and kids that always look formidable and put together and probably only eat fatty snacks on their birthdays. Sometimes I wished I had that: a husband, a man that Vanessa could look up to.

I figured that when my ex Wesley couldn’t provide that, my brothers and father would step in and treat my daughter like they treated me: a princess.

Now I have to do that myself.

It can be tiring, being both the mother and the father for Vanessa, but if I could turn back time, I’d do it all over again.

With Vanessa’s tiny hand in mine, we walk towards the store, to buy some cookies that I desperately craved the entire day I was at work.

Vanessa looks a lot like me. She’s basically my clone. People often stop us, simply to tell us that Vanessa is like a miniature version of me. I always like compliments about my daughter. I mean, she is my world.

When we arrive at home, I help her change into something more comfy. ‘Mommy, can we please have a pajama night?’ Vanessa asks, while I help her out of her dress.

‘It’s four in the afternoon,’ I say, knowing exactly what she wants. ‘You want to wait two hours before you wear your pajamas?’

Vanessa shakes her head. ‘No, I want to wear my pjs now.’ Her bright smile nearly lights up the room. I watch her nose scrunch up as the corners of her mouth curl up, the only trait that she inherited from her biological father. ‘Are you going to wear yours too?’

I don’t have anywhere to go and besides, after all popping all those anal glands today, I desperately want to get out of these clothes. ‘Yes, sweetie, I’m going to wear mine too, but first I’m going to take a shower.’

‘No bath, mommy? Because I like baths.’ Her dark brown eyes start to gleam with enthusiasm. ‘Please, mommy, please.’ She pouts, knowing damn well I can’t say no to that.

≫≫≪≪

The second Vanessa is in bed, I have some time for myself. I love every second we get to spend together, but it’s nice to have a breather every now and then. I stare at my arms, to see how Vanessa has colored in my tattoos. She’s obsessed with them and when she’s in school, she sometimes tries to draw them on her own arms by memory, sometimes even drawing on others when they want to. A few weeks ago, her teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. ‘Well, I want to be two things,’ Vanessa told her. ‘Like my mommy I want to be a vet, because I love animals, but I also want to draw tattoos on people.’

I sit up straight, looking at the drawing she made me today in school. She always makes drawings for me, but they are always the same. She draws a house, with me in it and herself. And outside she draws a dog and a man, with suitcases and moving boxes next to them. ‘Because,’ she explains every single time, ‘one day you meet a nice man who has a dog and he can become my new daddy. A daddy that does want me.’

Belle didn’t agree on me telling Vanessa her real dad didn’t want her, but I figured she needed to know the truth. Her biological father is a low life that disappeared into thin air and didn’t want to be involved in her life.

Vanessa understood, to the extent that was possible, but she really wants a dad, preferably one with a dog. Though she keeps pushing me, I can’t start dating again. Vanessa is the most important person in the world and men simply don’t fit into this—in my head—perfect picture. Vanessa is my life and men are big fat losers, so I don’t need them. I don’t want them, because the chance of them getting tired of maybe me, maybe Vanessa and leaving, is something I can’t risk.

Vanessa already lost her real father, what if a man that becomes really important to her, leaves too?

At around eleven I drag myself to bed, placing my work phone beside me. I hate being on call, but like I told Belle, I didn’t have a call in months, so I think I’m good.

I’m dreaming about Keanu Reeves (the only man on earth that I’d break my no man ban for) and how he takes me out on a lovely date, has Vanessa on his lap and helps her to cut her food, when the phone starts to ring.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ I mutter, before I click on my nightlight. It’s three in the fucking morning. I don’t want this. ‘Animal Clinic Westside, doctor Olivia Tran, how may I help you?’ I say when I pick up the phone.

‘Hello, I’m terribly sorry for calling at this hour, but my dog is vomiting and I see some blood in it.’ Oh, poor man, he sounds so panicked. ‘He collapsed and is breathing really heavily and I don’t know what to do.’

I sit up straight in bed and rub my eyes, as I try to be as alert as I can on this early morning. ‘Sir, it’s okay. Did your dog eat anything out of the ordinary today?’

‘Not that I know of.’

‘You think it’s possible for you to come to the clinic? I’d like to see the dog.’

‘Of course, of course.’ The man on the other side of the line has such a lovely and deep voice. He could become a voice actor or a narrator like Morgan Freeman. If liquid gold had a voice, it would sound like this.

‘I hope it’s not too much to ask, but could you take some of the vomit with you? Especially the part with some blood. I’d like to check it.’

‘I’ll bring it with me, of course.’

‘What kind of breed is your dog, sir?’ I ask, while writing it all down on a piece of paper.

‘An American Akita. His name is Kal.’

I don’t think he ever went to our clinic, I think to myself.

‘I’ll be at the clinic in about forty minutes, mister…’ I say, hoping that this man will say his name.

‘Cavill,’ he quickly says. ‘And I can be at the clinic in about an hour.’

That name does sound kind of familiar though, but I could’ve sworn that this man isn’t in our database. Maybe I went to college with him or to high school?

After we hang up the phone, I quickly get out of bed. I opt for a pair of tight fitted black leggings and an oversized sweater (after I put on a bra, because who knows mister Cavill is handsome and my nipples don’t want to keep that a secret) and I slip on some white sneakers. I put my hair into a bun. I freeze when I’m moisturizing my face.

I kind of forgot I had a daughter. I don’t like the idea of bringing Vanessa with me, especially since it’s three in the morning and she’s asleep, but then I realize that tomorrow it’s Saturday. Plenty of time for her to catch up on her sleep and plenty of time for me to feel less guilty about dragging her out of her dreams.

‘Sweetie,’ I whisper, when I gently wake her up. ‘Mommy has to go to the clinic, but you can’t stay at aunt Belle tonight, so you’re going with me to work.’

Vanessa was a groggy mess when I nudged her awake, but when she realizes she can go with me to work, her eyes light up. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, someone has a sick doggy, that needs to be taken care of.’

She gets up out of her bed and I help her with her socks, though she is perfectly capable of doing so herself. ‘You’re gonna save a doggy?’ Vanessa asks.

‘I’m going to try.’

I hand her a thick vest and while she puts it on, she says: ‘You’re a hero, mommy.’

With a smile on my face, I softly pinch her cheek. ‘I guess I am.’


	2. Chapter 2

There is one thing that Henry has always wanted in life and that was getting married and having a family of his own. Growing up with four brothers, he always envisioned himself being surround by a beautiful wife, with lots of kids.

But he has reached the age of thirty seven and though he hasn’t got a lot to worry about—his biological clock isn’t ticking—he thought that by now, he’d at least have a wife and one kid.

Now he only has Kal, his loyal canine that he adores with all his heart. He takes a sip of his beer, as he watches some lame romantic comedy. It’s Friday night and as a single man, he could be on a date of course, but his profession as an actor, makes it even harder to date.

Most women are either in it for the fame and his money.

He witnessed his relationships crumble apart and now he is back being single, sitting on the couch with his dog, staring at a television screen. Last year he was thinking about starting a family, but he pushed it aside, enjoying his life as an actor. The movies he did were going great, but after the latest movie he did…

It was kind of a flop. It didn’t meet up to the expectations of the public and since that moment, he has been living a quite boring life, not thinking about taking any other offers. He wakes up, walks Kal and thinks about ways to meet the love of his life.

_Henry isn’t so sure anymore about his acting career._

His mind wanders during the movie. He thinks about a future with a wife and kids. He can already see it happening: he would roll over in bed, wrap his arms around the love of his life, to slowly wake her up, before their kids would rush into the room and jump on their bed. He can imagine his beautiful wife sitting on the kitchen counter, with a few mini versions of them sitting next to her, as he is cooking for the entire family.

Henry rubs his face, fatigue kicking in. He shuts off the television and gives the big bear a kiss on top of his head. ‘You want a little something to eat before you go to bed?’ he asks Kal.

Kal wags his tail as an answer, accompanied with a bark.

Henry can’t help but chuckle.

It can pretty hard training Kal, but with the right amount of snacks, this dog can listen to him. Sometimes he even thinks that Kal can read his mind.

They go to the kitchen and he gives him a little kibble before he sleeps. He opens up the newest Doggy Herb bag and notices a slight change in color, but he shrugs it off. He bought Doggy Herb since the day he got Kal, so maybe there is more meat in this one that in the previous ones. He throws some in a bowl and watches as Kal gulps it all up.

The two of them walk up the stairs when Kal is done eating and he gets himself ready for the night. Henry stares at the sink in the bathroom, noticing the space that is left, because he doesn’t have anyone to share it with.

Before he can feel totally sorry for himself, he spits out the toothpaste and walks to his bedroom. He strips down to his underwear and steps into the bed, Kal joining him on the sheets.

He watches Kal falling asleep almost instantly and hopefully Henry can do the same.

But he can’t.

His mind keeps racing, constantly racing. The terrible reviews of his latest movie, the way how women kept saying how they want to have his kids, but none of them is good enough. He wants to fall in love with someone, someone who understands him, who loves him for who he is. A woman that he has an instant connection with. A woman where he can be himself.

When he does fall asleep, Henry dreams about a faceless woman, who holds onto his hand, as they watch their little kids running around in the yard, Kal barking as he runs in between the giggling kids.

That’s all he wants.

Henry is about to give his faceless wife a kiss, when he wakes up from hurling sounds that definitely aren’t his. He opens his eyes, turns on the light on his nightstand, to see Kal puking out his kibble on the new carpet.

Great, exactly what he needs. This is why he can’t have new stuff.

Henry gets out of bed and sits next to his dog. ‘Bud, you okay?’ he asks, but Kal’s legs give out and he collapses to the floor. His eyes are still open, but he whimpers and his breathing isn’t going as steady as it normally is.

‘No, no, no, Kal,’ Henry says, panic dripping through every word he speaks. He tries to find his phone as quickly as possible and Googles ‘Animal Clinics London’. He calls three different clinics, but none are picking up, not even the one that he usually goes to. He sees one that is an hour away, but in all honesty, Henry would arrange a private jet to fly them off to a vet that did pick up the fucking phone and he didn’t even care if he had to travel to another continent.

The phone rings twice, before he hears: ‘Animal Clinic Westside, doctor Olivia Tran, how may I help you?’

The woman sounds friendly, that’s a good start. ‘Hello, I’m terribly sorry for calling at this hour, but my dog is vomiting and I see some blood in it. He collapsed and is breathing really heavily and I don’t know what to do.’

‘Sir, it’s okay,’ she says. ‘Did your dog eat anything out of the ordinary today?’

He doesn’t even know for sure. ‘Not that I know of.’

‘You think it’s possible for you to come to the clinic? I’d like to see the dog.’

‘Of course, of course,’ Henry says.

‘I hope it’s not too much to ask, but could you take some of the vomit with you? Especially the part with some blood. I’d like to check it.’

Doctor Olivia Tran could’ve asked him to bring three human kidneys and he’d bring it, anything for his Kal. ‘I’ll bring it with me, of course.’

‘What kind of breed is your dog, sir?’

‘An American Akita. His name is Kal.’ Henry strokes the fur of Kal, blinking away the tears.

‘I’ll be at the clinic in about forty minutes, mister…’

Henry picks up on what she’s trying to do. ‘Cavill and I can be at the clinic in about an hour.’

They hang up shortly afterwards and Kal lets out a soft whimper. ‘Hang in there, bud,’ he tells the dog. ‘You can’t die on me. You really can’t.’

≫≫≪≪

With a weak Kal in his arms, Henry rushes into the clinic, only to discover that doctor Tran is already waiting for him. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but he certainly wasn’t expecting her. He is mesmerized by her dark brown eyes, her perfect lips and her hair that’s in a messy bun, a few strands framing her face.

This woman is beyond beautiful. He can’t believe that someone like her is even real. The way she tilts her head, while she scans him shamelessly from top to bottom, makes him feel all sorts of things.

He concludes he has been single for too long.

‘Mister Cavill?’ she asks, causing him to snap back into reality.

‘Yes,’ he hastily says. ‘That’s me.’

‘Follow me.’ She walks in front of him, into the first examination room. Her fingers tap on the table and he gently places his dog on the hard surface. She strokes the fur on top of Kal’s head. ‘Let’s see what’s with you,’ she says, putting on some gloves. ‘You brought the samples?’

‘Yes, yes, I did,’ he says, clearing his throat. He shouldn’t be mesmerized by the vet in front of him, but he can’t stop staring at her. He hands her the bag and she sets it aside, while she opens Kal’s eyes, looking into them.

Before he can say something else, he hears small footsteps echo into the room. ‘Can I watch?’

Henry looks up, to see a small girl standing in the doorway. This must be the daughter of doctor Tran, because that girl is the spitting image of the woman standing in front of him. The doctor does look young though, almost too young to have a daughter who is at least five years old.

He needs to shake the thought of the doctor off of him, he tells himself. She has a daughter, so there is a plausible chance she’s taken.

Doctor Tran doesn’t look up from her clipboard, while she’s scribbling something down. ‘If mister Cavill doesn’t mind.’

The young girl looks up at him, two hopeful eyes meeting his. ‘No, of course not,’ he says, his heart melting at the sight of the hopeful look in her eyes.

The little girl walks over to the examination table, dragging a stool with her. She stands next to Henry and even when she’s standing on it, she can barely peek over the edge of the table. ‘Mommy,’ she asks, confirming that the little girl is indeed doctor Tran her daughter, ‘should I introduce myself?’

The doctor nods, while she checks the vomit, scrunching her nose. ‘That’s the polite thing to do, sweetheart.’

The girl holds out a tiny hand and says: ‘My name is Vanessa Tran.’

‘Hi Vanessa,’ Henry says in a soft voice, before holding onto her hand, that nearly disappears in his. ‘My name is Henry Cavill and this is Kal.’

Doctor Tran looks up from the bag of vomit. ‘ _Henry_ Cavill?’ she asks. ‘Isn’t there an actor whose name is Henry Cavill?’

‘Yeah, there is.’ Henry chuckles, feeling a bit awkward, but also amused that she doesn’t recognize him. It’s nice to be unrecognizable, even if it’s for a short amount of time. ‘That actor would be me.’

Her eyes widen. ‘Oh,’ she says, but she can’t seem to find the right words to say.

‘Mommy, is this man famous?’ Vanessa asks, while not breaking eye contact with Henry. The little girl blinks her eyes, almost in disbelieve that someone famous is standing next to her.

Doctor Tran pulls herself together. ‘Yes, sweetheart, he plays in some movies. He even played Superman.’

Vanessa widens her eyes as well and yet again she looks just like her mother. ‘Wow, Superman is here.’ She starts to giggle, a sound that Henry already adores. ‘So, if you are Superman, you are really strong.’

‘He is,’ doctor Tran says, placing the vomit samples aside. ‘He carried his dog inside.’ Henry can’t help but beam with pride as he takes in the compliment from the doctor.

‘Wow,’ Vanessa says again. She holds out her arms and asks him if he can lift her up. Henry looks over at the doctor, who smiles and simply nods, a non verbal sign of consent.

Henry lifts the little girl up in his arms and she wraps an arm around his neck.

‘I can’t wait to tell miss Sue that I met Superman.’

He can’t help but laugh, the little girl and her comments already making him feel less scared about what can happen to Kal. ‘Doctor Tran,’ he finally says, ‘is everything okay with Kal?’

‘What kind of kibble do you give him?’ she asks, while she is checking his heartbeat.

‘Doggy Herb,’ he answers, while Vanessa is tugging his curls, pulling on one strand until it’s straight, before letting it go and watching it curl together again. ‘Why?’

She looks up. ‘Well, then the news hasn’t reached you yet. We’ve had multiple cases of dogs who started to vomit after they ate the Doggy Herb kibble, some of them included blood. The manufacturer changed something in the ingredients and now lots of dogs have severe reactions to it.’

This woman demands all of his attention, without even trying. She is absolutely breathtaking and if she wasn’t talking about his sick dog, nor had a daughter, he’d ask her out.

‘Oh.’ Henry feels guilty. ‘I thought there was something different about it. I opened a new bag today.’

‘How much did you gave him?’

‘A little bit, at around eleven,’ he answers.

She smiles and without her telling him something, he already feels more at ease. ‘Then you have nothing to worry about. I’m going to put an IV on him, so he can rehydrate a bit. After that I’m going to give him some medicine and I’ll give you something to give him at home. In about three hours, you can take him home with you again.’

‘Really?’

She nods. ‘Really, sir. If you could place him on the floor? That would be easier for Kal and me.’

‘I’m sorry, miss Vanessa,’ he says, before he gently places the girl back on her feet. He shouldn’t feel this desperate need to impress the doctor. However, he can’t help but flex his muscles a little bit, as he carries the dog to the corner of the examination room.

‘Wow, mommy, he is really strong,’ Vanessa says.

‘No wonder he was Superman,’ doctor Tran says. She looks through some drawers and says: ‘I figure you want to wait here.’

‘I do, I do,’ he says.

‘If you want, you can grab something to drink around the corner. Maybe a coffee will help you stay awake.’

Does he look that miserable? Does he look that tired?

‘I can tell you how the machine works,’ Vanessa says. ‘I know how it works.’

‘That would be nice,’ he admits. Vanessa takes ahold of his hand and tugs him with her. He follows the little girl and he sees himself in the reflection of a mirror that’s right next to the coffee machine.

He does look miserable. His eyes are still red from the bit of crying he did when he drove to the clinic and the bed hair looks like multiple crows have been nesting there.

‘My mommy is going to make Kal better,’ Vanessa says, before grabbing a paper cup. ‘You don’t have to worry.’

‘I wasn’t worried,’ he tells the young girl, but the second it leaves his lips, he realized he only said that to impress the doctor. God, he is lying to a little girl, just to impress her mother, who isn’t even in the same room. For all he knows, the woman is married and the girl’s dad is at home.

But, come to think of it, why would she take her daughter to work then?

Vanessa starts to frown and she takes a step to the side, so she’s standing in the doorway. ‘Mommy, can I tell Superman he is lying and that you’re not supposed to lie?’

He can hear doctor Tran laughing. ‘You can tell Superman that, sweetheart.’

Henry feels a little finger poking his thigh. ‘Superman, you are lying and you’re not supposed to lie. My mommy says that you should tell the truth, especially about your feelings.’

He is genuinely impressed. This young girl is really in touch with her own feelings and can verbalize it. That’s extraordinary for someone her age, he thinks to himself. Doctor Tran is doing a good job with raising her.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says to Vanessa. ‘I’ll try to be better.’

‘You should, you are Superman after all.’

He has a paper cup filled with coffee and they accompany Kal and the doctor again. She hands Vanessa a juice box and says she needs to fill in some paperwork, but that the two of them can keep Kal company.

Vanessa and Henry stare at Kal, while Vanessa is slowly stroking his fur. It’s obvious that she’s growing more and more tired with every passing second, but she is desperately trying to stay awake. It’s really endearing, if Henry’s being honest and really not helping with his own baby fever.

‘My mommy is also a superhero,’ Vanessa says. ‘Not like Superman of course, but she always saves animals.’

‘Well,’ Henry says, unintentionally loud enough for doctor Tran to hear it, ‘your mom is an even better hero than Superman.’

That confuses her, because she frowns. ‘Why?’

‘Because I play Superman. It’s pretending. Your mom is not pretending.’

He watches Vanessa nod, as she is taking in what he just said. ‘Yeah, you are right. My mommy is a better hero.’ She sighs deeply. ‘Mister Henry, do you have kids?’

God, the girl is barely five or six years old, but she surely knows how to wrench his heart. ‘I don’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Why not what?’

She rolls her eyes annoyed, probably thinking he is a slow one for not understanding. ‘Why don’t you have kids?’

He clears his throat. ‘I don’t have a wife,’ he says. ‘And you need two people for that.’

Her mouth falls open. ‘Well, my mommy doesn’t have a husband. I’ve always wanted a daddy,’ she admits with bitter sweet honesty. ‘But my real daddy didn’t want me.’

‘Enough, Vanessa,’ he hears doctor Tran say in a stern voice from the other room.

‘But mommy…’

‘No, enough. Don’t talk about that with strangers.’

‘But this man is not a stranger mom. He is Superman, he can help us.’

Doctor Tran walks into the room, an annoyed look on her face. She doesn’t say anything, just stares at her daughter, raising an eyebrow in the process.

Vanessa pouts. ‘Sorry.’

The doctor leaves the room again and Henry asks Vanessa about school, hoping the kid doesn’t start about her estranged father again, though he wants to know more about that and it is a convenience: doctor Tran is single from what she just told him.

He finds out that she is six and can already read what’s on the posters in the examination room. Even though this kid isn’t his own, he can’t help but feel proud, when she recites the entire alphabet and shows him that she can count to a hundred.

But all while she’s doing that, fatigue is catching up with her and eventually she falls asleep against his arm. He carefully lifts her up, hoping that he doesn’t wake her up and walks to the room where doctor Tran is currently doing some paperwork.

‘Oh, she’s asleep,’ she says when she notices Henry standing in the doorway.

‘Yeah, she was pretty tired.’

She smiles, before holding out her arms. ‘I’ll be right back,’ she says, as she holds her daughter close to her body. She leaves the room and probably will tuck her daughter in somewhere. He sits next to his dog, looks at him, looking less and less fatigued and more like his own happy go lucky self.

‘Kal is looking better,’ she says, while she crouches down next to the dog. Kal stares at her, almost with heart eyes. ‘I recommend you switch to something like Purina One, or something like that,’ she tells him. ‘Doesn’t matter, everything but Doggy Herb.’

‘Is it deadly?’ he asks. ‘The other kibble.’

She shakes her head. ‘Well, no, wait, that’s a lie. If you give him lots of it, it can be fatal.’

‘I feel so stupid.’

The doctor looks at him. ‘Don’t,’ she says. ‘From the looks of it, you are a great owner.’ She checks the bag with fluids and says: ‘I want him on the scale for a second.’ She removes the IV from him, but from the looks of it, Kal is too tired to move.

‘Why on the scale?’

‘To determine how much of the medicine he needs,’ she tells him. ‘We don’t want to OD him, do we?’

It’s almost a cruel joke, but he can’t help but laugh. This woman is quite something and he is seriously intrigued.

Henry is yet again going out of his way to impress the beautiful doctor, but her facial expressions don’t give away much. She turns on the scale and writes down what she sees. ‘You can place him there,’ she says, pointing near the entrance. ‘Maybe the view will help him a bit. He should get moving in about half an hour.’ He places his furry companion near the door and Kal can move his head up, staring to the silent outside world, all still too deep asleep. When he looks at the doctor again, she taps the screen of the scale. ‘Now I know how much you both weigh, but I need Kal’s weight.’

Why is he feeling insecure? She’ll probably know that his weight is mostly muscle, that is shows his hard work. He steps on the scale and watches her scribble something on the paper. When Henry steps off, he notices her frown. ‘What?’ he asks.

‘This only confirms what I thought.’

‘What?’ he asks again.

‘Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat.’

She could’ve slapped in across his cheek and he wouldn’t be as surprised as he is now. Kal is _fat_? ‘Excuse me,’ he says in a defensive tone, crossing his arms in front of his buffed out chest. ‘My dog isn’t fat.’

Doctor Tran doesn’t seem impressed by his facade at all. ‘He is,’ she tells him. ‘An average American Akita weights between the forty and sixty kilos. Your dog weighs seventy kilos, while he should be between the fifty and sixty kilos.’

‘It’s muscle.’ Geez, he never thought he could get this defensive.

The doctor tries to hide a smile and her overall amusement, but she is failing miserably. ‘It’s fat, I already felt that back in the examination room.’

‘But how is he too fat?’

She shrugs. ‘You feed him too much, I guess. I’m not there with you when you feed him.’

‘I give him the prescribed amount of kibble.’ And a bit more, but his dog can’t possible get fat from that, right?

‘Do you train Kal?’

He nods. ‘I do.’

‘And do you give him snacks?’

He searches though his pocket and finds a chunk that he usually gives Kal during training.

‘How many do you give him?’ she asks, studying the snack as she takes it from him.

‘About twelve of those during a training session and I do those about two or three times.’

’No wonder he is fat.’

Does the doctor need to be this crude? His dog nearly died, could she show him some compassion?

‘Mister Cavill, this is the size of a pound,’ she tells him. She breaks it into four smaller bits and adds: ‘Dogs don’t care about the size of their snack. Instead giving him one of those, giving him a fourth, isn’t something he’ll notice.’

Henry sighs deeply, embarrassed of his defensiveness. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says.

‘For getting defensive?’ she guesses. ‘Oh no, it’s totally understandable. Someone is saying something about someone you care about. But, sir, it’s my job to make sure Kal is the healthiest he can be. Just give him seventy five percent of what you would normally give him, give him tons of walks and don’t give him the entire snack, just a quarter will do.’

He nods, taking the tips in. ‘Thank you, doctor Tran.’

≫≫≪≪

Kal is finally feeling better and Vanessa has woken up again. She is hanging around Kal’s neck, giving him tons of kisses. Kal doesn’t seem to mind, because he continues to lick Vanessa’s face when he gets the chance. Henry knew that his loyal dog was good with children, but this is on another level.

‘I’m sorry that I called,’ he says to doctor Tran, who is leaning against the counter, her white coat hanging open, revealing a thick looking sweater.

‘Why? Your dog was sick and you called a vet. It’s okay, I knew what I was doing when I sighed up for the job.’ She looks at her daughter and adds: ‘Besides, I think I have a very tired, but very happy six year old for the weekend. She got to pet a lovely dog and met Superman. Honestly, I should thank you for calling our clinic.’

Henry lets his gaze drop on the petite doctor that is standing next to her. He doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but he certainly does believe in attraction at first sight. It has been a long time since Henry met a woman like doctor Olivia Tran. She blatantly told him his dog was fat and told her daughter that she could say to “Superman” that he was lying. She is definitely something else and he hates it that he has to leave now.

‘Well, thank you,’ he says, ‘for helping out Kal. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he didn’t make it.’ He holds out his hand and the doctor leaves him hanging for a good second, before she places her slender hand in his, adding: ‘It’s my job, mister Cavill.’

‘Henry, please, call me Henry.’

She nods. ‘Okay, _Henry_ , I’ll see you in a few weeks, for his yearly shots he needs to have according to his passport and we have to check if you are a strict enough owner, because this little fatty needs to lose some weight.’ She lets go of his hand, before scratching the Akita behind his ears.

‘Mommy, can we have a dog?’

‘No, angel, we can’t,’ she says. ‘So give Kal one last kiss and say goodbye to Henry, okay?’

Vanessa does what her mother tells her to do, because she gives Kal a kiss on his nose and walks over to Henry, who crouches down, so he is about the same height as the little girl. ‘It was very nice to meet you, Vanessa,’ Henry says.

She wraps her arms around his broad shoulders. ‘It was nice to meet you too, mister Henry,’ she whispers, still a bit groggy. She lets go of him and walks to her mom, holding onto her hand tightly.

‘Thank you, again.’

‘Of course,’ doctor Tran smiles. ‘And I’ll see you in a few weeks.’

He steps out of the clinic with Kal and sighs deeply. This was quite something, he thinks to himself. As he walks towards his car, he looks over his shoulder, only to see Vanessa being picked up by her mother, balancing on her hip. The two of them wave to him and he smiles, holding out his hand and waving back.

When he gets into his car, Kal sitting next to him, he lets out a groan. He shouldn’t have a crush on this vet, he really shouldn’t.

But Henry keeps thinking about how doctor Tran stared at him, how Vanessa hugged him and how his dog seemed to be at ease with them, loving the doctor from the looks of it and adoring the attention Vanessa gave him.

He forces himself to stop thinking about this, because for all he knows, this is the last time he would see either of them. He doesn’t even know if his favorite veterinarian will be helping him when he gets back in a few weeks for Kal’s shots. ‘Forget about it, Henry,’ he tells himself sternly. ‘You’re not a teenager anymore, with a crush on someone he can’t date anyway.’


	3. Chapter 3

It’s still beyond me that I told the famous actor Henry Cavill that his dog is kinda fat. The entire time from three till six a.m. was a dream to be honest. I noticed the second he walked in how handsome this man looked, not realizing he was Henry Cavill, though I thought he looked familiar. His curls were disheveled, his coat hung open and he looked pretty out of it, something that is completely understandable. However, he wasn’t just a snack—this man is a full course meal.

When he placed his dog on the examination table and stared at Kal with that concerned look on his face, was also the exact moment I felt something crumble deep inside of me. The aversion I had against all men (minus the one and only Keanu Reeves of course) was falling apart. I felt so stupid for thinking about him and how handsome he looked. Two days later, I still feel stupid.

He is a client with a dog who was sick. Had the other clinics picked up, I wouldn’t even know how handsome he was in real life. And on top of that, he is not just any client. He is Henry Cavill. The Henry Cavill, with an ass that looks good on screen, but even better in real life.

Yes, I looked. I’m still a person with a pulse who lets her mind wander from time to time and his butt definitely is part of my dreams nowadays.

Though I let my fantasies take me to certain places with Henry, I couldn’t help but turn into a soft pile of mush, as I watched him hold Vanessa in his thick arms, allowing her to play with his curls. I watched him listen intently as she started counting from one to hundred. He listened from the first number to the last and seemed genuinely impressed.

It’s rare to find a man who is willing to give a young child his full attention. In those six years I’ve been raising Vanessa, he is the first one that I encountered that is like that.

A quick Google search while he was chatting with Vanessa told me he was single. Somehow I stumbled upon multiple articles saying that he really wants a family of his own.

My mind almost wanted to think about how maybe… He could become someone important for Vanessa, because he was such a natural and the older Vanessa gets, the more I think that she needs a male figure in her life. Since she has reached the age of five, she has been bugging me about having a dad. The years prior to that moment, I was perfectly capable of being both the mother and the father. At least that’s what I thought. I came to the bitter conclusion that I’m her mother and that is it. 

But then I also realized that I should keep one one thing in mind:

Henry Cavill is dying to have a family of his _own_.

And Vanessa is not his own.

I want to think about something else, but I can’t. I simply can’t stop thinking about Henry Cavill and his strong arms. I’m convinced I was hallucinating when I thought he was flexing his arm muscles, when he carried Kal.

When I told Belle about this, she began rambling something about how that man oozes family man and how he makes her ovaries shake and ache for babies. I shrugged it off, thinking she was being ridiculous, but now…

I never thought I’d meet someone else. I knew that I’d be raising Vanessa by myself, though I secretly wished she wasn’t born to a single mom, who obviously had no idea what she was doing. I wished that she was born into a happy family, with a mother, a father, siblings, uncles and aunts and grandparents, but that wasn’t the case, so I tried my best to give her the best life I could possible provide for her.

And I shouldn’t think about Henry Cavill like that. I know for a fact that he has already forgotten about me and my daughter.

However it’s hard to forget about him. Especially since Vanessa can’t shut her mouth about how amazing Superman is and how he is the strongest man on earth because he carried his overweight dog into the clinic with no problem.

Vanessa and I walk back home, after I picked her up on Monday. ‘Nobody believed I met Superman,’ she says. For a second I’m afraid she is defeated, but then she simply shrugs. ‘But I know better than that.’

That’s my girl. ‘Very good, sweetie.’

‘Miss Sue send me out of class today,’ Vanessa then says.

‘Why?’ This isn’t the moment to become the overprotective mother goose. This is the moment to let her tell me in all honesty what happened.

‘I wasn’t doing what she told me to do. We had to read four pages out loud with the class, but Nicky is really slow, so I read the next page by myself, while I wasn’t supposed to.’

‘But why did she send you out?’ I ask.

‘Because I did it four times.’

‘Right,’ I say. What do I say about this? I understand my daughter completely, because I used to do the same. Besides, I think miss Sue is a bit uptight to be honest. I don’t like miss Sue. She’s always pretty condescending to me, probably because she’s ancient and thinks a child should have both a mother and a father, like the perfect housewives do.

I really hate every parent who has a kid going to that school, but on top of my hate list, is miss Sue.

When Vanessa senses my lack of reaction, she says: ‘I made you another drawing.’

I prepare myself for the well known drawing, that I can dream by now, but all the air is knocked out of my lungs when I see what she drew me today. I stop in the middle of the curb, earning me some annoyed groans from two old ladies who were apparently walking behind me, but I don’t care. I really couldn’t care less at the moment.

_Oh my God, what is it with this kid and desperately wanting a father?_

Okay, now I get that she wants a dad, I do, but did she honestly have to draw a Superman and a dog (where she wrote underneath KAL) _inside_ of our house? Superman stands next to me and she tried to make it look like Superman and I are holding hands.

Oh my God, what goes on inside Vanessa’s head?

‘What did you draw?’ I ask her, though I know exactly what she drew.

‘My new daddy.’ She smiles, revealing the empty gap where her tooth was this morning, but it fell out during recess today. It’s her third tooth and I’m too much of a realist to tell her about the Tooth Fairy, since I had severe nightmares about that. She doesn’t care about the Tooth Fairy being fake (but she had to promise me to play along when kids in school talked about it), only about the money that I have to give her.

‘Your new what?’ I ask her.

‘My new daddy,’ she says. She pretends like she is talking to an idiot, but that attitude is apparently something she saw me doing and made it a personality trait of herself, since Belle once said that she is just as sassy as I am.

‘You can’t just declare every man you meet as your new dad,’ I tell her.

‘But I haven’t asked for a new daddy in so long,’ she says and to be fair, that’s true. The only thing she does, is draw me the same picture daily with the exception of today. ‘I want Superman to be my new daddy.’

‘It’s an impossible wish.’

‘But I want him as my new dad,’ she says, stomping her foot on the ground.

This is the moment she chooses to have a temper tantrum? Great, just what I need after a long day of not putting one pet to sleep, but three. ‘Vanessa, I’m not having this conversation with you. That man is not going to be your new dad.’

_Am I telling her this or myself?_

‘Why not?’ she whines.

‘Because not every man you like can be your new dad, so that includes Henry.’

Vanessa starts to pout, but I turn away, not being able to look at her when she looks like that, because if she stares at me with that face for a little too long, I’m breaking into the office to look for Henry’s number, so I can call him and literally ask him to be Vanessa’s new dad.

Goodness gracious, what is happening to me? What happened to my strong independent woman mindset? I don’t need a man, like the Pussycat Dolls told me growing up and I don’t need them for anything. I have managed to become a great veterinarian and a pretty okay mother, without the help of family. I’ve done so much, but I’m willing to let all that go, just so I can have one more glance from Henry. Just one more smile from him.

A bark pulls me out of my thoughts and I look over my shoulder. I not only see the chubby American Akita, but also his owner. Henry looked handsome Saturday morning, but he looks even hotter today. He wears a dark blue jeans that shows the world how thick his thighs really are and a cosy sweater, but not a coat, since men are apparently too cool to wear coats in the beginnings of autumn.

Henry notices us and holds up his hand, while a wide smile creeps on his face. Vanessa wants to rush towards him, but I grab her arm before she can run away. Seriously, my mom reflexes are no joke. Today, when a salamander wanted to wander around the examination table and nearly fell off, I caught him just in time, while I had my back turned to him. The nine year old boy to whom the weird pet belonged to, almost cried out of happiness because I saved his salamander from breaking his neck. ‘Not a word about the new dad thing,’ I tell her sternly.

She nods, recognizing the look on my face and knowing that I mean it. I let her go and when she is close enough, she jumps in Henry’s arms. He catches her easily and I hear him say: ‘What a greeting, miss Vanessa,’ followed by a lovely chuckle of his.

This girl really needs a male figure in her life, I think to myself and if it were up to me, that role model is going to be Henry Cavill.

‘I missed you, Superman,’ she tells him and I have to resist the urge to bring up the new dad thing myself.

‘I missed you too,’ Henry says to her and that earns him a kiss from Vanessa on his cheek.

There is this saying that the only ones that tell the truth, are drunk people and little kids. What if Vanessa is right? What if this man should be her new dad? She always drew a man with a dog, outside of our house.

I never saw her with another man like this. Belle’s brother is nice, of course and they are best buddies, but it was never like this. This look Henry and Vanessa share with each other.

Vanessa wiggles herself out of his strong arms to cuddle Kal, who looks a lot livelier than he did a few days ago. He excitedly wags his tail. ‘Doctor Tran,’ Henry says to me when I walked over to the three of them.

‘Please, call me Olivia,’ I tell him. ‘We’re not in the clinic.’

‘Right.’ Henry has a faint blush on his cheeks. Is it because of me or did my child say something to him that embarrassed him when she hugged him?

‘How is Kal doing?’ I ask, scratching the big dog behind his ear, while Vanessa pets his back. ‘He looks a lot better than he did on Saturday.’

‘Yeah, I’m giving him the meds you gave me and he has been his normal self again. I also bought some Purina One and he seems doing really well with the sudden change of kibble.’ Henry clears his throat and he says: ‘It’s hard not to give him as many snacks as I want to, but I’m trying my best.’

‘Oh, you’re that kind of owner,’ I smile, before shoving my hands in my pockets. ‘Well, he looks happy and better than Saturday, so that’s good.’

I honestly have no idea what I can say to him, so for the first time in forever, I’m hoping Vanessa can break the ice here. I just pray she doesn’t force us to sing that Moana song, because that girl will get her way, especially when it comes to singing songs. I once had to sing “Love is an Open Door” (both Anna’s and Hans’ part) to her, when she locked herself in the bathroom at the library because something scared her.

Our eyes meet for a second and it’s like she understands me without words. ‘Mister Henry, what were you doing out here?’

_Very good, Vanessa._

‘I was walking Kal,’ he says to her, crouching down so he doesn’t tower over her.

That’s adorable and all of the sudden I understand that shaking ovaries comment Belle made a whole lot better. I’m willing to give this man the family he wants, but I need to stop thinking right now.

‘We will walk with you.’

 _I wasn’t hoping for that kind of ice breaker._ ‘Sweetheart,’ I say to her, ‘we can’t just say that. Maybe he has an appointment or something else that is important.’

‘I don’t mind,’ Henry on the other hand says, completely disregarding my parental efforts. ‘We could use some company actually.’

While my common sense is telling me that this isn’t a great idea (he is a client at the clinic, he just wants to get into your pants, he is just being nice), my heart is pounding like crazy, loving this idea.

‘Please, mommy.’ Vanessa folds her little hands together and pushes out her bottom lip, blinking her eyes like she’s some sort of puppy. This kid knows what she’s doing, because the chance I’m saying no now, is basically non existent.

‘Okay, sure, but you stay close now. No wandering off. If you want to go somewhere, ask me.’

‘We can go to a nearby park,’ Henry suggests. ‘Kal can run free if he wants and we can keep an eye on them.’

 _We_ can keep an eye on them. Don’t start hyperventilating now, Olivia Tran. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

Vanessa squeals and walks in between us, holding not only my hand, but also Henry’s. Oh my, we look just like one happy family, especially when I look to my side, to see that the most gorgeous looking man on the planet earth, is already looking at me, flashing me a beautiful smile.

Secretly I hope that we run into some parents from school, miss Sue or even my parents. I’m really tempted to rub this in everyones face, though it’s probably only a once in a lifetime moment.

‘Mister Henry,’ Vanessa says, ‘my mommy had to kill two cats and a dog today.’

‘Not kill,’ I quickly correct her. ‘I had to put them to _sleep_ , remember? Those animals were old and sick and they needed a little help to go to heaven. I don’t kill them.’ I look at Henry again, who seems amused. ‘I really don’t.’

‘I believe you,’ he laughs. ‘You just tell owners their pets are fat.’

I involuntarily let out a laugh. ‘You are the first one in two months with a fat pet, so I just save it for the famous actors with who can’t say no to their chubby dogs.’

Henry licks his lips, before he sinks in this top teeth in his bottom lip. Goodness gracious. Next time I run into Henry Cavill, I should bring some extra pair of panties.

Olivia, that is terrible, I shouldn’t think like that.

_My daughter is here for crying out loud._

‘Mommy, have you seen a cuter dog today?’

‘Cuter than Kal you mean?’ I ask her.

‘Mhm.’

I chuckle. ‘Well, I’ve seen cute dogs, but no one is as cute as Kal.’

‘I think so too,’ Vanessa says. She pulls her hand out of mine, before holding out her arms for Henry.

I want to tell her that she can’t just expect him to carry her, simply because he is strong and he is Superman, but without any difficulties he lifts her up with only one arm. If I tried that, I’d dislocate my shoulder, but obviously it’s a piece of cake for him. I spend my fair share on Pinterest and YouTube, admiring his arms. And that clip of him building that PC? That was the hottest thing on earth and is nearly illegal.

‘I lost a tooth today,’ Vanessa says, showing off her teeth, probably sticking her tongue through the gap.

‘Wow, that is awesome,’ Henry says, leaning in to check if there is already a new tooth coming in. ‘You’re going to put it underneath your pillow, so the Tooth Fairy can give you some money?’

I can feel Vanessa’s hesitation. She looks over her shoulder and ushers me to get closer. ‘Mommy,’ she asks, still loud enough for Henry to hear, ‘should I tell him the truth?’

‘About what?’ I ask her.

‘He still believes in the Tooth Fairy.’

I bite my lips, to prevent myself from laughing out loud. ‘I think you should tell him.’

She nods and wraps an arm around Henry’s neck. ‘Mister Henry,’ she says, ‘the Tooth Fairy doesn’t exist. Mommy just gives me money when I lose another tooth.’

Henry looks at me, also visibly holding in a laugh. ‘The Tooth Fairy doesn’t exist?’ he ask in almost believable disbelieve, but then I remember: this man is an actor. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Mhm.’

‘I need to call my mother, to ask her why she lied to me all those years?’

Vanessa shakes her head. ‘Well, lots of kids still believe in the Tooth Fairy, so it’s okay that you did too.’

‘It was just time for you to know the truth,’ I add.

‘Well, thank you, miss Vanessa,’ Henry says. ‘Thank you for being honest with me.’

We arrive at the park and Henry and I sit on a park bench, while Kal runs wild, followed by a giggling Vanessa. I flinch a few times, thinking Kal is too wild to be playing with Vanessa, but he actually tones down a bit, checking in with her to make sure that she’s alright.

‘You have a sweet dog,’ I admit, not being able to look at Henry just yet. He is really close, I can almost feel the heat he is radiating through my coat, right onto my skin.

‘Yeah, he is sweet.’

‘And fat.’

‘Are you ever letting that go?’ Henry laughs.

I simply shrug. ‘I’m a vet, I just want the patients to be healthy.’ I try to look serious, but I can’t help but chuckle. ‘But I don’t think I can let it go, until Kal is sixty kilograms.’

‘But what if he is just a larger model?’ Henry tries, still not wanting to fully admit to the fact that he was overfeeding his pet and thus the main reason Kal is at least ten kilos too heavy.

‘He isn’t,’ I tell him. ‘He is large, sure, but I’ve seen American Akita’s who are a whole lot bigger than him, but still within the acceptable weight range.’

‘You’re one tough doctor, Olivia,’ he says with a smile. ‘You know, your daughter has quite the personality. Figured she’s just like you.’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘Yeah, people often say we’re basically twins.’

‘The fact that you told her about the Tooth Fairy being fake is admirable,’ he says.

‘I wanted her to spare the trauma I experienced,’ I say. ‘Besides, I don’t like lying to her, though everyone says it’s part of growing up.’

Henry nods and I can feel he wants to ask it. It’s always in people’s body language, when they want to know about the family situation. They clear their throat, avoid eye contact, rub their hands together and when they ask the question, they tilt their heads.

I decide that I’m not ready for a head tilt by the one and only Henry Cavill. ‘Her biological father didn’t want her,’ I say. ‘He broke up with me and disappeared out of my life, if that’s what you wanted to know.’

He sighs, a blush on his face, as if he is embarrassed that I caught on, before he even asked. ‘I don’t think I can ever understand those kind of men,’ he admits, staring at his dog and Vanessa. He leans forward, his elbows on his knees. ‘I mean, she’s a great kid, very in touch with her feelings and pretty smart too. Her biological father doesn’t know what he is missing out on.’

 _I don’t think I can ever understand those kind men._ Did he honestly just say that? My entire body temporarily forgot how to function. Henry Cavill out there trying to steal my heart and with the rate he is going at, I’m willing to hand it over to him without putting up a fight. _Her biological father doesn’t know what he is missing out on._ That one went straight to my soul.

‘Well, he was an idiot anyways,’ I mumble. ‘Think I’m better off without him.’ I stare at Vanessa, who is chasing Kal, whose tail is wagging and he jumps around her like an idiot.

‘You are really better off without him,’ he says to me. ‘I don’t know the asshole, but I do know for a fact that you are better off without him. And Vanessa for that matter.’

I feel giddy, like a child before her birthday. ‘Listen, Henry, I’m sorry if she’s overstepping any boundaries. If you don’t want to pick her up, you don’t have to.’

‘I don’t mind, Olivia,’ he says. ‘She’s not overstepping any boundaries.’

I nod, not sure what to say. This isn’t helping with my fantasies, that I keep pushing back, postponing them to completely erupt when I’m in bed tonight. Belle is right: he oozes family man.

‘You’re doing a great job,’ he then says.

‘With what?’

‘Raising her.’

My cheeks flush. When was the last time I heard this, from someone other than Belle? I don’t think anyone has ever told me really… Except that one nurse in the hospital, when Vanessa was three and shoved a bead up her nose and I couldn’t stop crying. That event totally made me doubt my parental skills, until the nurse said that she dropped her infant on his head and he turned out to be fine.

‘I’m trying,’ I say, looking at my hands.

‘And that’s good enough,’ Henry whispers, but loud enough for me to hear it.

I need to contain the urge to just jump him, kissing his soft looking lips and allowing him to do things to me that I hadn’t done in such a long time.

Thankfully I have Vanessa, who always knows the exact moment I need her. ‘Mom, I had a little accident.’

When I look up, I see that she didn’t pee herself, but that she fell into the mud.

Face first.

Great.


	4. Chapter 4

Three weeks pass by. Three whole weeks of Henry hoping he bumps into his favorite pair again, but no luck. After that time he saw Olivia and Vanessa on the curb and the four of them went to the park, was also the last time he saw them.

He seriously regrets not asking Olivia for her number, so he could arrange more of those kinds of “dates”. He already has an excuse: “Kal needs to be around kids more and since Vanessa doesn’t have a dog, it’s a win-win situation, honestly”.

After Vanessa fell face first into the mud, the two of them left, because she was in need of a bath and Kal was too, because he thought it would be funny to roll into the dirt as well.

These weeks passed agonizingly slowly. The fact that he wasn’t working, isn’t helping at all.

It did gave him the time to realize one thing though: he is falling for someone he barely knows. Google searches for Olivia Tran didn’t bring him a lot, except one of the things he already knew: she’s a veterinarian at Animal Clinic Westside. No social media whatsoever, something that he finds pretty rare and unique.

But finally the day he has been looking forward to has arrived. He is sitting in the waiting room of his favorite animal clinic. He hasn’t seen her yet and he sure hopes that she’s even working today and if so, that she is going to help him out. If she isn’t helping him and Kal, then it’s the universe telling him she is not the one for him.

If she does help them, he needs to ask her out, because he doesn’t know if he can’t endure time apart from her again.

While he is waiting with Kal, Henry looks around at the other animals, even the creepy bird who hasn’t stopped staring at him. For a second Henry is afraid that the bird will recognize him, but he shakes off that thought before he can think about it even more.

A door opens and he hears: ‘Kal?’

He noticed how in this clinic (and maybe elsewhere too, he doesn’t know), they call in the patients by the names of the animals, instead of the owners. He is eternally grateful, not wanting to draw attention that he is in fact Henry Cavill.

He looks up and sees his favorite vet standing in a doorway. He can’t help but smile. He notices a bright grin on her face and from that alone, this day can’t be ruined if it’s up to him.

_Besides, he needs to ask her out now._

Henry stands up, tugs Kal’s leash and walks over to the doctor. Olivia steps to the side, letting him and Kal go into the room first. he smells great, he thinks to himself. Like lavender, he didn’t notice that before.

‘We should weigh him first,’ she says, placing her clipboard to the side. ‘He does look slimmer already.’

‘I’ve been restraining myself,’ he laughs. ‘It’s just really hard to say no to this face.’

‘Weak,’ she comments, chuckling in the process. Henry knew he missed her, but after that comment left her lips, he didn’t realized how much he missed her. ‘Come on, Kal, get your fat ass on the scale.’

Henry places his hand over his mouth, but a loud laugh leaves his lips anyways, especially when Olivia looks at him with a playful look on her face. She checks the screen and claps her hands when she hears a soft beep, indicating the scale is done measuring Kal’s weight. ‘Good boy, Kal, you lost three whole kilos already.’ She presses a kiss on top of his head and looks up at Henry. ‘You’re not as weak as I expected you to be, mister Cavill.’

Henry smiles, as he’s taking in her appearance. Those two times he saw her, she was already breathtaking, but there is something different about her today. Is she wearing lipstick? He notices her hair isn’t in the usual bun. Her wavy locks frame her face and when she runs her fingers through it, he has to look the other way, because damn, she is beautiful and this isn’t the time to faint.

‘Anyways,’ she says, a blush appearing on her cheeks, probably because Henry kept gawking at her, ‘this big boy needs to get his shots today.’

‘I do have to tell you, he isn’t the greatest with needles,’ Henry warns her.

She nods. ‘Aren’t you projecting your own fears on your dog?’ she jokingly asks him.

He wonders if she’s like this with other clients or if she strictly reserves this for him. He sure hopes it’s the latter, though he feels a bit attacked, because it may be true, that thing she said about projecting his own fears on his dog. ‘No, he really doesn’t like them,’ he says nonetheless.

Olivia prepares two shots for the big canine, who keeps staring at her, but letting out a small whimper. ‘I know, baby,’ she says to Kal in a higher voice, ‘it may be scary, but it’s over before you know it.’

She sits next to him, pats his head, while Henry crouches down near the dog as well. He can’t help but stare at her. She is so pretty and the way she is comforting the dog, he falls even more in love with her.

When she grabs the syringe, Henry swallows hard, while Kal’s entire body shakes with excitement.

Olivia glances at him, before she sticks the needle into Kal’s thigh. He doesn’t even whine, but Henry rubs his own face. ‘Are you okay, Henry?’ she asks, but he doesn’t hear what she says anymore, because he passes out.

≫≫≪≪

Henry wakes up in the corner of a room, his back pressed against the wall and his legs sprawled out in front of him. Kal is no where near him, while Henry swore they were together before he fell asleep.

He had a nice dream, of the beautiful doctor at the animal clinic. He dreamed that they were sitting in the park, her head against his shoulder, as they watched Vanessa and Kal play. It was nice to dream about her like that, just like he did that in those three weeks he didn’t see her.

He tries to remember where he is and when he looks around, he sees he is at the animal clinic. The examination table, his own dog sitting next to doctor Olivia Tran, who walks up to him and crouches down in front of him. ‘You’re up,’ she says with a chuckle. ‘For such a big guy, I never assumed you’d pass out like that, simply because I was giving _your dog_ a shot.’

‘Oh fuck,’ he mumbles, rubbing his face, a sad attempt to cover his flushed cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘No need to, it was kind of funny, especially when I had to drag you around this examination room and had to explain to the assistant that the loud thud she heard, was the owner that collapsed and not the overweight dog,’ she laughs, handing him a paper cup filled with some water. ‘Here, drink this.’

He takes a tiny sip, still embarrassed of what happened to him. God, did he really just pass out in the examination room because his dog was getting a shot? ‘This is really painful,’ he chuckles, hoping it helps him not to feel the shame he is feeling right now, but it’s not working at all.

She places a slender hand on his calve, causing him to hold his breath because of the sudden touch. Him passing out like that, does have his perks come to think of it. ‘Listen, it happens to the best of us. The first time I had to help deliver a lamb, I threw up and passed out in my own vomit, in front of the entire class, so honestly: it’s okay.’

Olivia stands up again and holds out a hand. He carefully places his in hers and she pulls him up, though he mostly pushes himself up, because he is afraid he’ll drag her down. Not that he would compla—

 _No_ , he can’t think like that, not when his jeans is already this tight. Later tonight he can think about the possibilities that came with her pulling him up.

‘Thanks, Olivia,’ he says.

‘Are you feeling okay? You want something sweet to eat, before you hit the road again?’

That is so thoughtful of her. ‘Maybe some sugar would be of help,’ he says.

‘Perks of having a six year old,’ Olivia says, rummaging through her purse, ‘I’m always prepared for emergencies.’ She hands him over two candy bars. ‘You can have those, Vanessa doesn’t like them anyways.’

‘How is Vanessa doing, by the way?’

Henry might not know Olivia very well, but what he does know, is that something happened.

‘Is everything okay?’ he asks.

‘Yeah, it’s just that her teacher continues to pester me about how Vanessa should change her work ethic, which I think is too much to ask of a six year old and… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t bother you with this. You probably don’t even care.’

‘No, I do care,’ he quickly says. _Way too quickly._

Olivia sighs deeply. ‘I’m just worried about my girl sometimes. Comes with becoming a parent I guess.’

He wishes he could agree. ‘Listen, it might be extremely inappropriate, but I have to ask.’ He can hear the wise words his common sense is screaming. _Abort mission. Don’t do it, Cavill. For the love of God, don’t ask the gorgeous doctor out on a date._ ‘Would you like to go out with me? Like… Tonight? For dinner?’

Olivia crosses her arms in front of her chest. _Why isn’t she saying anything?_ ‘As in a date or as a thank you for saving your dog?’

She is not making it easy for him and he has to give her props for that. That’ll teach him from asking cute women out, who just smiled at him and were nice to his dog. ‘A date,’ he says, all of the sudden not too sure about this action anymore. ‘I know it might be weird, because of what you do for a living and how we met, but I… I’m really interested in you.’

‘In me as a person or what’s in my pants?’

Well both, but he can’t say that, without looking like an absolute creep. ‘In you as a person, what kind of man do you think I am?’

She chuckles. ‘A man who is afraid of needles and can’t say no to his dog,’ she tells him. ‘I’ll go out with you tonight. Can you remember my number or do you want to put it in your phone?’

≫≫≪≪

It took Henry about three hours to go through his entire closet, just to find the perfect outfit for tonight. He didn’t want to look like such a try hard, but he also didn’t want to look like a slob. He eventually opts for a simple black sweater with some fitted jeans and his Chelsea boots. It’s casual, yet it has a fancy streak to it. He grabs the grey blazer from the hanger and while he checks the pockets, he hears Kal whimper, who lays flat on his bed. ‘We’re going out tonight, bud,’ he tells the large canine. ‘You are going to keep Vanessa and her babysitter company, while I’m going out on a date with Olivia.’

He still can’t believe this is happening. He asked the doctor out on a date and the most bizarre thing of it all, was that she said yes.

Olivia Tran said yes to him.

He would lie if he said that he wasn’t nervous. In all honesty, he is about to die from his nerves.

He checks the clock and realizes he should leave his place now. He clicks his tongue, causing Kal to follow Henry downstairs. He puts on Kal’s leash and when he closed off his place, the two of them get in the car. He hums along with the song on the radio, as he drives to her house.

In the past he went on tons of dates. He likes dates, getting to know someone and finding out whether or not they are compatible. But there is something different about this date. He wants to get to know more about Olivia, but he is afraid that once she gets to know him, she’s not interested in him anymore.

He parks his car in front of her house and he takes a deep breath, trying to procrastinate the moment that he has to walk up to the door. Kal whines, as if he knows where they are and he sees that as a moment to get out of the car. The two of them walk up to the door and he rings the doorbell.

‘Mommy,’ Vanessa says from the other side of the door, ‘Henry is here.’

‘Do not open the door!’

‘But mom…’

‘Sweetheart, what if it’s not Henry, but a pervert?’ Olivia asks.

‘Oh my God, Olivia, the person on the other side of the door can hear you!’ he hears a different female voice scream and he can’t help but chuckle. He wondered what kind of household Olivia would have and somehow this situation seems fitting. 

‘Mom, what’s a pervert?’ Vanessa asks.

‘A disgusting human being,’ Olivia explains.

‘Is Henry a pervert? I thought he was Superman?’

‘Olivia, I mean it,’ the other woman says, ‘people on the other side of the door can hear you two.’

The door finally opens and he sees both Vanessa and Olivia standing in the doorway. ‘Hi Henry,’ his already favorite duo say in unison.

‘Hi there,’ he says with a smile. It’s six in the evening and Vanessa is already in her pajama. From the looks of it, it’s light pink with bears on it.

Kal pushes past him, to give the little girl a lick on her cheek, causing her to giggle.

As endearing as that sight may be, he can’t help but look at Olivia, who wears a grey plaid pants paired with a black shirt that hugs her upper body. The outfit shows off her godly proportions. He even sees a hint of tattoos on her arms, but she grabs a coat and it covers them up before he can see them properly.

But if he saw it correctly and she does have tattoos… That’s almost unfair. She is already beautiful, but add tattoos in the mix and that gives him enough to dream about tonight.

Another woman appears in the doorway and she hums in approval. ‘It’s such a shame that I wasn’t on call when your dog started to throw up,’ she says with a smile. She extends her hand and says: ‘Hi, I’m Belle.’

He saw her earlier today. She is another vet and when he was paying for the appointment, she bumped her hip against Olivia’s and they shared a look, one that best friends share. Guess Belle is the certified baby sitter. He quickly shakes her hand. ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Henry.’

‘God, you were right, Olivia,’ Belle says, ‘he is even more handsome in real life.’

Henry detects a fire red blush on Olivia’s cheeks, but she looks down and slips on a pair of boots that have a heel, something he hasn’t seen her wear before. He wants to take in her entire appearances, glancing her over more than once, but he restrains himself, since he doesn’t want to look overly eager.

‘That must be a sign that we need to go,’ Olivia says, before she pinches her friend in her side. She leans down, to give Vanessa a kiss. ‘Be nice to auntie Belle and Kal, okay?’

‘Okay, mommy,’ Vanessa says. ‘Can Kal sleep in my room tonight?’

‘He can,’ Olivia says.

The little girl smiles and looks up at Henry. ‘Is that okay with you too, mister Henry?’ she asks. ‘Kal is your dog.’

‘He can sleep in your room,’ Henry says, touched by the fact that she actually thought she should ask him about this. Olivia is raising such a lovely and polite girl. He truly admires her.

While Olivia rummages through her purse, Belle crouches down and whispers something in Vanessa’s ear.

‘Okay, I’m ready to go,’ Olivia says with a smile.

‘Enjoy your night,’ Vanessa says to the both of them, as Olivia steps out of the doorway. ‘And you two shouldn’t have too much fun.’

Henry nearly chokes on his own spit. ‘Belle, I swear to—’ Olivia wants to say something, but swallows the words before she can express her true feelings. ‘I love you, Vanessa,’ Olivia says to her daughter.

‘I love you too,’ she says to her mother. ‘Will you give me a kiss when you get back?’

‘Of course, angel.’

Vanessa smiles. ‘Bye, mister Henry,’ she says to him.

‘Bye sunshine,’ he says to the young girl, who starts to beam with happiness when she hears her new nickname. He doesn’t know where “sunshine” came from, it just slipped out.

Olivia and Henry walk to his car, but he can’t help but notice how she keeps looking up to him. He opens the door for her and he watches her get in. He waves to the two—three, if you include Kal—in the doorway, before he gets in himself.

‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia says, the second the door closes.

‘No need to,’ Henry laughs, starting his car. ‘It was funny.’

She snorts, while she waves to Belle, Kal and her daughter as he drives off. ‘Well, leave it to Belle to embarrass me.’

‘She a close friend?’

Olivia nods. ‘Very close friend. When I found out I was pregnant with Vanessa, she was there for me when no one else was. She forced me to live in her house for a while, even after Vanessa was born.’

Henry frowns. ‘I thought it was just your ex who wasn’t there for you.’

She sighs. ‘Well, my parents and two brothers weren’t too keen on me having a kid out of wedlock. My mom kicked me out seven years ago and since that moment, no one has tried to contact me. I haven’t seen them ever since.’

This is un- _fucking_ -believable. He knows for sure that, had this happened within his family, his brothers would be over the moon to be an uncle of yet another kid and his parents would love another addition to the family.

And her family just kicks her out?

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he says and he means it from the bottom of his heart. ‘Were you close with your family?’

She shrugs. ‘Growing up I was. Not really with my mom, but with my father and brothers I was super close. I thought that they would love it, a little bean added to the family. Guess I was wrong. But you know, I have Belle, so that’s enough for me right now.’

 _Right now_. That means the door is open for someone else, right? Or is he trying to read something that isn’t there?

‘By the way,’ she says, ‘how did you come up with “sunshine”?’

Why does Henry feels like he just got caught? ‘Just slipped, I guess. I’m so—’

‘Don’t you dare apologize, Cavill,’ she interrupts him. ‘I love the nickname and did you see Vanessa’s face?’

He does actually. He recalls the way her face lit up with happiness and pride.

Olivia looks to the side and when he stops for the traffic lights, he meets her gaze. She smiles. ‘I’m really happy we’re on this date,’ she says. ‘And maybe I’m a bit rusty in the whole dating department and is what I’m about to say way too blunt, but I need to tell you that you look really handsome tonight.’

Maybe that is too blunt, but Henry doesn’t mind. He doesn’t mind at all. His hands get a bit clammy. ‘Thank you, Olivia. Allow me to be just as blunt.’

‘Surprise me.’

‘You look stunning and I’m really happy that you agreed on going out with me.’


	5. Chapter 5

Henry made reservations at a place where I’ve never been to. It’s fancy, yet cosy and probably insanely expensive. He told me not to worry about it for a single second, but that’s easier said than done. Every sip I take of my wine and every bite I take of the pasta, I can almost hear coins clattering somewhere in the background.

‘I never knew you had tattoos,’ Henry says eventually.

I stare down at my arm, after I rolled up my sleeve, since it’s pretty hot in here. ‘Yeah, I usually cover them up. My boss doesn’t think it’s professional.’ I hold out my arm, to show him the inside of my arm. ‘Vanessa likes to color them,’ I say, point to some where you can see a faint hint of colors, in the outline of a few flowers.

Henry gently holds my wrist. He hand nearly engulfs my wrist, only adding fuel to the fact that Henry is a lot bigger than me fact. ‘I like this one,’ he says, his thumb caressing the tattoo of Vanessa’s name and date of birth. ‘I always thought that if I ever had kids, I’d tattoo their names somewhere.’

Of course he would do that. That seems like the biggest dad move and it would fit him perfectly. He doesn’t have tattoos, but knowing that the name of his kid would be the first, is something that makes my heart flutter.

‘Do these tattoos have any sort of meaning?’ he asks, after he let go of my wrist.

I shrug. ‘Not really. My ex was really into having tons of tattoos and I kind of went with it. I also did it to piss off my mom.’

‘Did you succeed?’

‘Of course I did,’ I laugh. ‘She hated them with a passion, but since I was already in college, she couldn’t really say anything about it. Besides, it wasn’t like I started smoking weed again, so she was kind of grateful in the end.’

‘You used to smoke?’ he asks, his eyes nearly rolling out of their sockets in disbelieve.

I chuckle. ‘I did, when I was around sixteen. I did it for like a year.’

‘Damn, doctor Olivia Tran is a total bad ass,’ Henry laughs, his eyes smiling as well.

‘You never smoked weed?’ I ask in disbelieve. ‘Mister Cavill, I’m deeply disappointed in you.’

‘I’m very sorry.’ Henry takes a sip of his wine. ‘Why did you want to become a vet?’

‘I was always obsessed with animals,’ I confess. ‘At home we never had pets. My mom thought dogs were disgusting, because they lick themselves and my dad is allergic to cats. My brother Jesse once had a fish, but he died within twenty four hours after he bought him, so he was traumatized and my other brother Levi hated animals in general, so yeah… No pets in the Tran household. My friends all had animals and I would love them when I visited. I even became a dog walker for awhile and professional animal sitter when our neighbors went on a holiday.’

‘Impressive,’ he notes. ‘How old are your brothers?’

‘Right now they are thirty seven and thirty four,’ I try to remember.

‘You have any idea how they are right now?’

I shake my head, all of the sudden feeling a bit of an emptiness in my heart. Growing up my brothers and I were so close. I was their little sister, their princess. It’s still beyond me that something like that could change within a heartbeat. ‘No idea,’ I admit. ‘My brothers aren’t the biggest fans of social media and I’m not going to cave and talk to them first. Not after what they did.’

Henry sits up a bit more straight and leans a bit forward, placing his hand on mine. His thumb caresses my fingers. Normally I’m not too keen on people touching me, but this feels so familiar, so safe. ‘I understand,’ he says. ‘I can’t believe your family ditched you just like that.’

‘Would your family have done that?’ I quietly ask.

He shakes his head. ‘Absolutely not,’ he says. ‘They would’ve loved the kid.’

‘Must be nice to have a family like that.’

He shrugs, probably not wanting to hurt my feelings.

‘Sometimes I wished I could’ve give Vanessa that type of family,’ I admit, without even thinking about it. I turn my hand around, so our palms touch each other. It feels even more intimate. ‘She wonders why she doesn’t have a dad or grandparents or uncles.’

‘What do you say to her?’ he wonders.

‘That her father doesn’t want her and that my side of the family didn’t like it, when I got pregnant with her.’

‘That must be pretty hard for her, right?’

I nod. ‘Belle told me that she didn’t think it was right for me to say it as bluntly as I did, but I don’t want to lie to her. Besides, what do I have to tell Vanessa? I don’t know who your dad is? I don’t have a family?’

‘Right,’ Henry says, frowning a bit in the process.

I don’t want to talk about this anymore, because my family is one of the biggest disappointments in my life. ‘Vanessa was really happy when I told her you asked me out,’ I say, seeing his face light up when I mentioned it. ‘I picked her up from school today and when I told her, she insisted on helping me pick out an outfit.’

‘She picked this out?’ he asks.

‘Only the shoes.’

‘I should thank her, then.’

I stick out my tongue, before I burst out in laughter.

‘Have you dated since you had Vanessa?’ he asks.

‘I haven’t,’ I confess. ‘I actually swore to myself that I’d ban men all together out of my life, unless Keanu Reeves came knocking at my door.’

Henry brings a hand to his lips, to suppress some laughter, but he fails miserably. ‘And yet you agreed on going on a date with me.’

‘Guess I have a thing for handsome men with chubby dogs.’

He lets out a chuckle. ‘Good thing I have a thing for veterinarians who drag me across the examination room after I passed out.’

I snicker. ‘I do have to ask you something,’ I say, before taking a sip of his wine. It would be a lot more practical if I could use the other hand as well, but I want to touch his hand so badly, that this is a discomfort I’ll endure. ‘Why me?’

His frown shows me that he doesn’t understand.

‘Why did you ask me out?’

Henry smiles. ‘I would be an idiot if I let you slip through my fingers, wouldn’t I?’

‘How romantic,’ I chuckle.

‘It’s true,’ he simply states. ‘I admire you in such a way… You are an amazing vet, an extraordinary mother and just a wonderful woman in general. I have never met someone quite like you, Olivia. You are truly one of a kind.’

When was the last time someone said something like that to me? I dated Wesley for five years, but not once was anything he said to me, this kind of romantic. He always mentioned my looks, how my body looked, but never about my qualities.

I clear my throat. ‘So, the whole _I have a kid_ thing doesn’t bother you?’

‘Why would that bother me?’

Does he need to be this perfect? I cock an eyebrow, before I say: ‘Because guys are usually scared off when there is a child in the mix.’

Henry shrugs, also taking a sip of his wine. ‘Guess I’m not like other guys then. It really doesn’t matter to me,’ he says. ‘I like you, with or without a kid. Besides, Vanessa is a wonderful girl. You are doing such an excellent job with her,’ he continues. ‘You are raising her so well. She is polite, smart and is such a unique girl in general. I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid that age like her.’

‘Shut up, Henry,’ I say, dapping the corners of my eye dry, hoping to prevent myself from bursting out in tears.

‘I mean it, though,’ he whispers.

During dinner, he finds out a lot about me. He was impressed when I told him I used to be pretty active in gymnastics, but had to quit due to a nasty knee injury when I was thirteen. About the fact that I was forced to play piano as a kid, but somehow ended up playing a bit of guitar and how I still want to pick that up again, but barely have time.

I find out that he is really close to his brothers and his parents, something that is lovely for him, but makes me a bit jealous. I wish I had that. But also, that he has difficulties picking up acting again.

‘Why?’ I ask.

‘That last movie I did, was the biggest flop in Hollywood.’

I bet he is exaggerating, but I keep my mouth shut.

‘And I just kind of lost some drive to pick up the whole acting again and…’

It’s impossible for me to keep my mouth shut now. ‘And you want to start a family of your own, right?’

His eyes widen. ‘How do you know about that?’

‘You’re famous, Henry and I’m curious. Go figure.’

He blushes, as if he got caught. ‘Well, it is something that crosses my mind, yeah.’

I smile. ‘That’s only normal,’ I say to him.

‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I want to start one right now, it’s just that—’

‘You need to find someone compatible,’ I interrupt him, taking notice of his discomfort. ‘I understand. You want someone that is not in it for the money, for the fame or for the sex, you want someone serious.’

‘Right,’ he says, clearly relieved that I understand.

‘Good thing I want something serious too,’ I admit. ‘I’m really not in the mood, ever, for bullshit, Henry. I passed that station a long time ago. The fact that you are willing for something serious, it’s a big relief for me.’

He opens his mouth to say something, but he is interrupted by someones phone. My phone to be exact. ‘I’m sorry,’ I say, pulling my hand back, to grab my phone. ‘It’s Belle.’

‘Please take it,’ he says.

‘Hi Belle,’ I say when I pick up.

‘I’m so sorry, Olivia,’ I hear my best friend say from the other end of the line. ‘But Vanessa is not feeling well.’

I can even hear her crying in the background. ‘Is she okay?’ I ask.

‘I don’t know what’s with her,’ Belle confesses. ‘She has been crying for the last fifteen minutes and nothing works. I checked her forehead, but she’s not really hot or anything and I don’t want to bother you, because this is the first time in forever that you’re on a date, but I don’t know what to do anymore.’

‘Don’t feel sorry, Belle, you did your best. I’m coming home and you tell Vanessa that…’

I can barely finish my sentence, when I hear a sobbing Vanessa on the phone. ‘Mommy, I’m in pain and I want you home.’

This isn’t the moment for me to start panicking. ‘Angel, don’t you worry. I’m coming home, sweetheart and I’ll try to see what I can do for the pain. You go hug Kal and auntie Belle and I’ll be on my way.’

‘Is Superman coming with you?’ she asks in between sobs.

I smile. ‘Yes, sweetheart, I’m bringing Superman with me. I love you so much and I’ll be home before you know it.’

‘I love you too, mommy.’

I bet she hands Belle the phone and she says: ‘To make things even worse, I’m on call and someone just called for a sick beagle.’

‘We’ll be there shortly, okay?’

‘I’m so sorry, Olivia,’ Belle continues to apologize, but I simply dismiss it and eventually hang up the phone.

‘Is everything okay?’ Henry asks.

‘Vanessa isn’t feeling too well and Belle has to go to the clinic and I need to go home to them. I’m so sorry, Henry.’

He simply shakes his head. ‘We both knew that this was a possibility,’ he says, ‘and besides: Vanessa is and should be your number one priority. No need to feel sorry, I totally understand. I’ll go pay and we’ll go back to your place.’

≫≫≪≪

Vanessa hasn’t stopped crying ever since we came back. Belle had to rush to the clinic for the beagle, after she apologized for over five minutes. Vanessa buried her face in the crook of my neck and I can feel her burning up with a fever.

After prying for about ten minutes, I finally figured out what’s up with my little girl: she has a nasty ear infection, but that is nothing we can’t handle. My mother used to chop up some onions, to place it on the infected ear. I never really understood why that worked, but somehow the pain subdued in a matter of two days and while I was still groggy afterwards, the pain in my ear always went away shortly.

I walk back to the kitchen when the cries have turned a bit softer, to see Henry chopping up onions into tiny pieces.

‘How is she?’ Henry asks, blinking his eyes fast, because of the onions.

‘Really feverish.’ I sit on a stool and give Vanessa a kiss on her head.

‘I’m almost done,’ Henry says. ‘Though I have no idea what to do with the onions.’

‘If you hold her when you’re finished, I’ll take care of it.’

He washes his hands and I stand up, before I whisper in Vanessa’s ear: ‘Henry is going to hold you for a minute, okay?’

Vanessa nods and places her head on his broad shoulder when he holds her. I know that this isn’t the moment, but this really warms my heart, seeing Henry like a true dad. When he drove back to my place, he nearly broke all the speed limits, because he desperately wanted to be with Vanessa, not wanting her to be without her mother any longer.

‘Can you make me feel better?’ Vanessa asks in a tiny voice, when I prepare the gauze so I can fill it with the chopped onions. ‘You are Superman.’

‘What can I do to make you feel better?’ Henry asks.

‘Sing something for me,’ she mumbles.

He doesn’t say anything at all, making me think he stiffened up and is finding a way out of this, but then he asks: ‘What do you want me to sing for you, sunshine?’

‘You’re Welcome,’ she whispers. ‘That song Maui sings in Moana.’

I want to ask if he knows that song, but all of the sudden I hear his soft and deep voice, singing the lyrics.

_‘What can I say except “you’re welcome”? For the tides, the sun, the sky.’_

The gauze is ready and I turn around, a smile evident on my face, since I can’t help but melt at this sight. He is singing for her. I never pecked Henry for a guy that would sing, but my daughter has him wrapped around her finger.

He sits on a chair, so I can reach Vanessa’s ear a bit better. _‘Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay, you’re welcome. I’m just an ordinary demi-guy.’_

I place the gauze with onions on her ear, wrap some bandages around her head and all that while Henry is singing. By the time I’m done, Vanessa has fallen asleep. The loud crying must’ve exhausted her. ‘We should place her on the couch for now,’ I whisper. ‘If I’m not with her in bed, she’ll notice right away.’

Henry stands up and carefully places Vanessa on the couch once he’s in the living room. He places a hand on her forehead and says: ‘Maybe we should open a window.’

I open the window till it’s ajar and I watch as Kal places his head against her thigh, a sweet reminder that he is there for her.

Henry and I take place at the table, so I can look at Vanessa and Kal. Henry sits right next to me and for some reason, it makes me feel really safe and comforted. ‘I’m sorry, Henry,’ I finally say. ‘This is probably not at all what you had in mind when you were asking me out.’

He simply shrugs. ‘It’s okay,’ he says. ‘I’m just sad that Vanessa isn’t feeling well.’

‘She told me she felt a bit snotty and sick earlier today, but I didn’t expect a full blown ear infection.’

Henry simply nods, before placing his large hand on my leg. Do not faint, Olivia Tran, I swear do not faint! ‘You have to go to work tomorrow?’

‘I do,’ I admit. ‘And I don’t know how I’m going to handle this. I can’t call in sick, again, because my boss will kill me if I do so, but I’m not taking a sick kid with me to work and—’

‘I can look after her,’ he says.

 _Excuse me, what?_ ‘Excuse me, what?’ I say out loud.

‘I can look after her,’ he repeats. ‘I have nothing to do, so you can go to sleep and then tomorrow, you’ll go to work.’

I blink away some tears in my eyes, that start to collect there at an admirably fast speed. ‘Henry, I can’t ask that from you.’

‘Good thing I’m offering,’ he says with a soft smile. ‘Really, I don’t want you to get in trouble and besides, I don’t want to leave Vanessa when she’s feeling like this.’

≫≫≪≪

I don’t know what I did in life to deserve a man like Henry Cavill. After we talked for a bit (and him promising that he really hasn’t anything to do tomorrow), I went to bed with Vanessa and Henry placed a mattress in the room, falling asleep there with Kal.

But during the night, every time I was awake, he was too, forcing himself to stay awake. He even opened a window, so Vanessa could continue to cool off. He placed a thin blanket over her, creating the illusion that she was covered, while he covered me with a thicker blanket, so I wouldn’t grow cold.

I made him promise to call me if anything happened, but nothing happened. He send me three pictures: one of Kal guarding a sleeping Vanessa who lays sprawled out on the couch, one of Vanessa with freshly cut onions on her ear and one of her and Henry and I need to fight the urge to change that my wallpaper into that picture.

Vanessa is seated on his lap, her thumb in her mouth (something she only does when she’s sick) and her head placed against his chest. Though Henry looks tired from not sleeping at all, he is still smiling and I can’t help but envision a future with those two.

During the day, all sorts of scenario’s jump through my mind. Me coming home from work, to find Vanessa and him waiting for me. Henry and I in our bed and due to a thunderstorm, Vanessa barges into to the room, so she can lay with us. Henry picking her up from school. Henry going with me to the parent teacher meetings, so I don’t have to face miss Sue or some other bitch by myself.

Henry being the father figure that Vanessa so desperately needs.

After a day where it seemed like every second passed by at least three times, I’m on my way back home. I open the front door and I hear soft giggles from the living room. I close the door behind me, slip out of my shoes, all while I hear Henry say: ‘You’re doing a great job, sunshine.’

‘You’re very pretty, superman.’

I walk into the living room, to see Vanessa sitting on his lap, using her children’s make-up kit, coloring in Henry’s face. He looks ridiculous, with his bright blue forehead and green cheeks.

‘Mommy, you’re back!’ Vanessa says. She dismisses her make-up kit and walks up to me. I meet her halfway and pepper her cheek with kisses. ‘I missed you.’

‘I missed you too, how are you feeling?’ I place my hand on her forehead and feel she isn’t as hot as she was when I left, but seeing her teary eyes, I know she is still sick, but feeling a lot better from the looks of it.

‘Tired,’ she admits. ‘And body ache.’

‘Understandably so. Have you been sweet to Henry and Kal?’

She nods. ‘I puked. though,’ she admits.

‘Oh no, sweetie, where?’

‘Over Kal.’

Then I notice indeed that Kal is a bit wet, while he is placed on a few towels. ‘Oh.’

‘Yeah,’ Henry says, ‘I used your bath tub for a little clean up session.’

‘That’s totally fine,’ I say with a smile. ‘What is that smell?’

‘I made some pasta,’ he answers, while it’s really hard to take him seriously with those weird colors on his face.

‘How about you wash your face and I’m going to see what this sweetheart wants for dinner?’

‘I want a fruit smoothie,’ Vanessa says and that is really typical for her when she’s sick to order fruit smoothies. ‘And maybe a bite of your pasta.’

Henry cleans up his face and by the time I have finished the fruit smoothie with oranges and bananas, Vanessa has already fallen asleep on the couch again. Not wanting to wake her up, I decide to put the smoothie away, for when she wakes up again. I sit across from Henry at the table. ‘How was it today?’

‘It went okay,’ he says, ‘minus the puking accident of course, but other than that, it went good. We watched some movies mostly.’

I don’t know why this happens, but I feel some tears burning up in my eyes.

‘Why are you crying, Olivia?’ Henry asks, while changing seats, so he can sit next to me. He places his hand on the back of the chair.

‘It’s just that I don’t know what I would’ve done, if you didn’t offer to watch her today,’ I admit.

He smiles. ‘Come here,’ he whispers, pulling me against his broad chest and when I feel his massive arms engulfing me in a hug, tension in my body that has been building up there for God knows how long, slowly seems to fade away. I wrap my arms around his waist and he places his chin on top of my head.

Was a hug something I needed for all those years? Is that it?

For all these years, I have been pulling myself together, even when my worries nearly ate me up alive. But to share it with someone, who is already being such a great influence in not only Vanessa’s life, but also in mine, is something I never knew I needed.

‘Thank you, Henry,’ I whisper when I carefully pull back.

His large hands are placed on my shoulders and he smiles at me. ‘My pleasure, Olivia.’

I bite my lip and admit: ‘I think I’m falling for you.’

He nods. ‘Good thing I’m falling for you too.’

 _Just do it._ He probably won’t mind. I know for a fact that he won’t mind. Look at what he said to me. He is falling for me too. I lean in and give him a short peck on his cheek, the five ‘o clock shadow already scratching against my lips. I don’t pull back immediately. My breath against his skin. I have to swallow hard to maintain some composure, but I’m ready to turn into a large puddle.

Henry turns his face, to give me a kiss on my lips. When was the last time I kissed a man? Right, it was when Wesley came home from his work. He gave me a short kiss on my lips, ten minutes before I told him about the pregnancy.

His lips brush against mine, even after the kiss. ‘Olivia,’ he says, his voice deep and nearly giving me the need to change my underwear, ‘this is the greatest way to end our prolonged date.’

I can’t help but chuckle. ‘It is,’ I whisper. And I don’t want it to end.

Ever.


	6. Chapter 6

Henry is living on cloud nine. After that kiss Olivia and he shared, he had been over at her place for three days straight, as Vanessa was getting over her ear infection. He spend so much time with the little girl, that he misses her greatly when she is not with him.

The moment Olivia came home, were such happy moments, filled with joy. He’d watch Vanessa hug her mom and then that same mother, the same woman he is growing so attached to, walks over to him, to give him a kiss on top of his head.

This is what he wanted. He wanted a family and being with Olivia and Vanessa, makes him feel like he is part of their family. He realizes of course that he is so insanely privileged to be part of that. Part of what they had for six, almost seven years.

It’s been a week since that kiss and a lot has changed again. Vanessa is already going back to school (guess a gauze filled with onions really work) and he isn’t staying over anymore, not wanting to overstay his welcome.

Henry leans back against the drivers seat of his car, waiting for Olivia to walk out of the clinic. Kal whimpers, as if he understands that Olivia will be joining them shortly. Or he recognizes the clinic and weirdly enough really likes it there.

Olivia walks out of the door, while she pulls out her hair tie, letting her long luscious locks fall on her shoulders. She notices his car, smiles widely and rushes towards the car. When she opens the door, she peeks her head in and asks: ‘Excuse me, sir, who allowed you to be this handsome?’

Henry can’t help but laugh.

Olivia gets in and when the door shuts behind her, she leans over to give him a kiss. Kissing her has been one of the highlights of his day. He never imagined that he would fall in love with someone this hard and this fast, but with Olivia, he can’t help himself. It doesn’t even feel forced or awkward. It feels like they’ve known each other for so long.

Yesterday he called his mother, telling her about the greatest woman he had ever met, but his mother didn’t gave him the time to mention that Olivia came with a wonderful kid. Well, he’ll tell her later then.

Right now he is just happy that Olivia is here with him again. He places his hand on her cheek, his thumb caressing her soft skin as he deepens the kiss. ‘I missed you,’ he mumbles against her soft lips.

The days that she has to go to work and Vanessa is at school, pass by so intensely slow. He takes Kal on the longest walks, he plays some videogames, tries to perfect his cooking skills, but time never goes by as fast as it does when he is with them. Thankfully, after this week, Vanessa will be on her autumn break and even Olivia has some days off.

He can’t wait to spend it just with them.

‘I missed you too,’ she whispers. ‘And as much as I would love to kiss you more, we have to pick Vanessa up.’

‘Right,’ he smiles. He can’t help but steal one more kiss from the woman he can’t get enough from and while he drives off, Olivia can give her full attention to the loyal canine in the back of the car.

‘What is that?’ Olivia asks.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Is that a carseat?’

He blushes, but realizes that she would find out about it sooner or later. Henry clears his throat, before he admits: ‘Yes, I bought it this morning. Figured if we’re going to make a habit out of this, I should be able to take Vanessa safely with me.’

He knows that Olivia doesn’t have a car, simply because she can’t afford it. She told him earlier this week, that she only had a carseat when Vanessa was a baby, because Belle would drive them from time to time. But now Vanessa is older and is perfectly capable of walking and taking the bus with Olivia.

‘Henry, really?’ she asks and he doesn’t know if it’s from disbelieve, gratefulness or annoyance. ‘You bought her a carseat…’ She places a hand on his arm. ‘That is so sweet, you keep amazing me, you know that?’

His blush is intensifying at an alarming speed. ‘It’s nothing, really.’

‘Don’t say something like that,’ she tells him. ‘It’s not nothing, this is everything. You are honestly the greatest guy to come across my path. In these past week you’ve done more for her than her real dad or family for that matter. This is really quite something.’

Henry places a hand on her thigh and continues to drive to Vanessa’s school, but he can’t stop beaming after what she just told him.

He thought about them and how maybe it was faith that he gave Kal the kind of kibble that made him throw up and Henry panic. Maybe it was faith that Olivia was on call. Maybe it was faith that she brought Vanessa with him, because not only did Olivia steal his heart, Vanessa took it and ran away with it, never intending on giving it back.

It’s still beyond him how these two ladies are part of his life now.

He parks the car at the school and while Olivia is planning on getting out, he is staying seated. ‘What are you doing?’ she asks, visibly confused.

‘I’m waiting for you and Vanessa.’

‘No, no, no,’ she says to him, ‘you are coming with me.’

‘But what if someone recognizes me?’

Her eyes soften a bit. He told her all about his thoughts about a further career as an actor, as someone in the spotlights. She knows about how much he doesn’t like it to be recognized. He wants to be left alone from time to time, especially if he is with Vanessa and Olivia. ‘You’re wearing a cap,’ she says. ‘Just keep your head a bit low and stay close. Please, Vanessa would love it to see you there.’

‘Is it not a bit too soon?’ he asks. ‘We’ve been only dating for a week and this…’ What the hell is he talking about? ‘You know, forget I said that. I’m coming with you. Kal, buddy, we’ll be right back.’

‘That’s the spirit,’ Olivia laughs as she gets out and she closes the door behind her.

Henry adjusts his cap and walks next to Olivia to the school yard, waiting for the bell to ring. Because of Olivia’s personality, he always forgets how petite she is, especially when she stands next to him.

‘Olivia,’ he says and she looks up. ‘Why are these women staring at us?’

She glances over her shoulder and growls something under her breath. ‘Those are the perfect housewives, with their perfect kids and perfect husbands,’ she says, her brows furrowing. ‘They are probably in shock that I brought some male company with me.’

Henry can’t help but chuckle, as he looks at the feisty woman next to him. He gently places a hand on her shoulder, maybe because he feels like he needs to physically restrain her, maybe because he wants those women to be extra jealous of her.

The bell rings and it doesn’t take long before a very happy Vanessa rushes out of the school. She notices her mother and takes a sprint. ‘I missed you, mommy, I missed you,’ she says, when she jumps into Olivia’s arms.

‘Oh, sweetheart, I missed you too.’

Then Vanessa’s eyes land on Henry. She blinks a few times, before she extends her arms, while saying: ‘Superman, you’re here too!’

‘Of course, sunshine,’ he laughs, taking her from Olivia. ‘We were going to that new cafe, remember?’

Vanessa mentioned something about a cafe, where they serve pink drinks and red velvet cupcakes. She says that Olivia took her to that place two times on her fifth and sixth birthday, but that they haven’t been there since then. Henry has never been to that cafe and since dogs are allowed to go inside too, he was totally up for it.

Besides, he figured that it would make Vanessa very happy if they went.

He carries Vanessa to the car, while he has his hand on Olivia’s back. She leans against his broad frame and he noticed over the course of this week, how much she likes it when he physically touches her. She always leans in against his body, a trait he finds so endearing.

‘Okay sunshine,’ he says to her, when they are at his car, ‘I bought you a carseat, so you can drive along safely.’

He opens the door, tells Kal to stay put and Vanessa sits in the seat. ‘It has bears on it,’ she mentions, with a bright smile on her face.

‘Especially for you,’ he chuckles, as he helps her buckle up. The second she’s all set and done in the seat, Kal attacks her with licks, causing her to giggle.

Henry sits behind the wheel and Vanessa says: ‘I made two drawings today. One for you and one for Henry.’

Henry waits with starting the car and just like Olivia, he turns around in his seat, so he can look at Vanessa. She hands them both a drawing and when the two of them look at the pieces of paper, it’s evident that she drew the exact same thing:

All four of them, Henry, Olivia, Kal and Vanessa in one house. Olivia told him about the same drawings she has been making for such a long time and how after they met Henry, she drew Superman and Kal with them. Now he is not in Superman clothes, but in normal clothes.

Now he is Henry.

Vanessa even wrote everyones names on the drawing.

‘This is very beautiful, sweetheart,’ Olivia says. ‘Thank you.’

Henry clears his throat. This isn’t the time to cry or get emotional, though he feels many things right now. A kid made him a drawing and it’s not just any kid: it’s Vanessa Tran that made this for him.

‘Why isn’t Henry saying anything?’ he hears Vanessa ask.

‘He is taking in the drawing,’ Olivia answers. ‘Sometimes you look at something and it leaves you absolutely speechless. You can’t find the words to say something.’

‘Is Henry speechless?’

‘I think so.’

Henry chuckles. ‘This is beautiful, sunshine,’ he says. ‘I can’t wait to hang it up at my place.’

He drives off and while he is soaring the car over the roads, he feels Olivia’s hand on top of his, her thumb drawing circles on his skin. A small and silent sign of comfort. Weeks ago he thought he’d never have that family he wanted, he’d end up adopting four more dogs and once he died, his corpse would lay in the house for months, because no one cared about him.

But then he met Olivia and Vanessa and from that moment, something in him changed. He was pretty selfish, thinking about himself and Kal and that is it. Now everything he wants to buy, he wants to do, he thinks about Olivia and Vanessa. Will they like it? Will they agree?

‘Mommy,’ Vanessa says, pulling him out of his thoughts.

‘Yes sweetheart?’

‘In that cafe, can I sit with Henry?’

Olivia smiles. ‘Of course.’

‘You won’t jealous then?’

He notices out of the corners of his eyes that Olivia frowns. ‘Why would I be jealous?’

‘Because he is your boyfriend.’

Boyfriend… Is he Olivia’s boyfriend? He never specifically asked if he could be.

‘Vanessa, sweetheart, I’m never going to be jealous of you, since you are my daughter and there are certain things that you will do and will never make me jealous. So you sitting next to my _boyfriend_ ,’—so, she is not appalled by the idea of him being her boyfriend—‘isn’t something that will ever make me jealous. But it’s really considerate of you to ask that.’

‘I am considerate,’ she says and Olivia agrees.

Henry parks the car and he helps Vanessa out her carseat. ‘You know, I always wanted a carseat,’ Vanessa tells him. ‘Especially one with bears on it. I love bears.’

‘I know you do, sunshine,’ he says to her, helping her out of the car, as Olivia opens the door for Kal to get out. ‘That’s why I picked this one out for you.’

‘Can I hold Kal?’

‘Of course,’ he says and Olivia hands her the leash.

The two of them watch Vanessa trot in front of them, Kal watching out for her and Olivia says: ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘It was the drawing, wasn’t it? Henry, if you don’t like her doing that sort of stuff, then it’s okay. I can just tell her.’

‘No, no, no,’ he quickly says. ‘It’s just that… It’s all a bit surreal, that you two are part of my life now. I can’t really believe it just yet.’

≫≫≪≪

Vanessa sits on Henry’s lap, as he helps her with finishing up that red velvet cake. Of course he noticed Olivia taking pictures of them, but when he saw the look on her face, the happiness, relaxation, he simply smiled.

The overdose of sugar made Vanessa really tired, because while a few moments ago she was talking and talking and talking, she is now burying her face in Henry’s neck. ‘You’re adorable,’ Olivia says.

‘Who?’

‘You of course. My daughter is always adorable.’ She scratches Kal behind her ear and says: ‘You have plans next week?’

‘To spend it with you,’ he says.

She chuckles, but he sees her blushing. ‘Vanessa, sweetheart, would you like to have a sleepover at Henry’s next week with mommy?’

Vanessa starts to nod, rubbing her eyes. ‘I would like that. Only if Henry wants that of course.’

He sometimes wonders how Olivia managed to create such a beautiful kid, how she raised Vanessa to be polite and wise. And that all by herself. He never underestimates her, but he is in utter awe when he sees how she interacts with her daughter, how the two of them know each other like the back of their hands and how well adjusted they are with one another.

‘I would love that, sunshine.’

Vanessa sits up straight again, wraps her arms around his neck and presses her nose against his cheek. She started doing that when she was sick, because she didn’t want to make him sick too, though an ear infection isn’t necessarily contagious. Pressing their noses against each others cheeks, is their way of saying how happy they are with one another and he wouldn’t wanted to have it any other way. ‘We have to wear matching pajamas,’ she tells him.

‘I’ll try my best,’ Henry laughs, already imagining them wearing the same pajamas and the amount of pictures he is going to take. ‘Maybe Kal can wear something too.’

Vanessa’s face lights up. ‘He should wear a pajama too,’ she says in all seriousness. ‘Otherwise it’s not a real sleepover.’

The four of them decide to leave after they spend nearly an hour and a half in that cafe. He watches as Vanessa holds onto her mothers hand. They wear the same boots, something that Vanessa absolutely adores. ‘One day she’s embarrassed to be the same as her mother, so I’m enjoying it while it lasts,’ Olivia once told him, but he highly doubts it.

‘Honey?’ he hears a very familiar voice and he turns around. With a caught look in his eyes, he sees not only his mother, but also his father. _What are they doing here?_

‘Mom, dad, what a surprise,’ Henry says, before giving both of them a hug.

‘Who is this?’ his father bluntly asks, when Olivia stands next to Henry. God, his father doesn’t have any manners.

‘You must be the woman Henry told me about,’ mom says to Olivia.

He didn’t tell Olivia that he told his mother about her, not because he is embarrassed, but it didn’t came up in the conversations. What is she going to think?

Not much apparently, because Olivia smiles. ‘Hi, my name is Olivia, it’s wonderful to meet you.’ She extends her hand, one that his mother takes immediately and she says: ‘Olivia, what a beautiful woman you are. My name is Marianne and this is my husband Colin.’

‘Nice to meet you, Colin,’ Olivia says to his dad, who smiles at Olivia.

‘Mommy, should I introduce myself to these people?’ Vanessa says, pushing herself in between Olivia and Henry.

Why is his heart pounding so painfully?

‘You should, sweetheart.’

Vanessa extends her hand to his mother. ‘Hello, my name is Vanessa Tran.’

Mom seems impressed by the manners Vanessa possesses and he can already see that she is in awe of the little girl, just like he was when he first met her. ‘Nice to meet you, Vanessa,’ mom says. ‘You are such a lovely young lady. You look just like your mother.’

‘Thank you.’ Vanessa looks over her shoulder at Olivia. ‘Mom, she didn’t introduce herself, should I tell her?’

‘Oh how rude of me,’ mom says. ‘My name is Marianne Cavill. I’m Henry’s mother.’

Vanessa tries to process it and nods, simply not knowing what she should say to her. It’s weird for her probably, since she never met Olivia’s parents. She does the same thing with his dad, politely introducing herself.

‘What are you two doing here?’ Henry asks.

‘We needed to buy some new shoes for your father,’ his mom says. ‘But I really like that we ran into you guys. Olivia, Vanessa, the two of you should come by the house. We would love it to get to know you more.’

Olivia nods. ‘Of course.’

‘You have baby pictures of Henry?’ Vanessa asks.

They all start to laugh. ‘We have,’ his father says. ‘But be prepared, Henry was an ugly kid.’

Vanessa pulls her mother a little down and whisper shouts: ‘Is this a joke or is he serious?’

Olivia chuckles. ‘It’s a joke, sweetheart.’

‘Good, because even if mister Colin is his dad, he shouldn’t be so mean to him, right?’

Henry pulls on one of her pigtails and she looks up at him. ‘Thank you, sunshine, for looking after me.’

She smiles. ‘No one should be mean to each other and if he does it more often, you should say something about him.’

He notices both of his parents are looking at the interaction between Henry and Vanessa and he wonders what they think. ‘Like what?’

‘That he indeed needs new shoes.’

Henry laughs, just like his parents and Olivia and lifts her up. ‘Well, we have to go,’ he says. ‘I should start making some dinner. How about pancakes, sunshine?’ Vanessa starts to nod and wraps her arms around his neck.

‘Of course,’ his mother says and she pulls him into a hug. ‘I meant it, Olivia, you two really need to stop by.’

‘We look forward to it,’ Olivia says. ‘Vanessa, say goodbye, okay?’

‘Goodbye mister Colin and mrs. Marianne,’ Vanessa says and the four of them walk towards his car. The first five minutes go by in silence, but Vanessa is always there to break the silence, because she says: ‘I really like your parents, Henry.’

‘That’s good,’ he say.

‘I wouldn’t mind if they became my grandparents,’ she continues. ‘I’ve always wanted a grandma and a grandpa and they seem nice enough.’

Olivia looks to the side and places her hand on his, intertwining her fingers with his. ‘They did seem nice,’ she says. ‘You want to visit them one day?’

‘I do, but only if Henry wants it.’

Henry looks in his rearview mirror, to catch a glimpse of Vanessa. ‘I would love for you to visit them.’

Vanessa tilts her head. ‘Mommy, I think you should give Henry a kiss.’

‘Why is that, sweetheart?’ Olivia asks.

‘He seems like he needs it. Your kisses always help.’

Olivia chuckles, before she leans in and presses a kiss on his cheek.

And Vanessa was right, he did need that.

≫≫≪≪

 **Mom:** Honey, your father and I absolutely loved Olivia and Vanessa. What a marvelous duo are those two.

 **Dad:** And I can’t believe that young girl told me I indeed need new shoes, simply because I said you were ugly as a kid. Please let Vanessa know that it was a joke, because I want her to like me.

 **Simon:** Excuse me, who are Olivia and Vanessa?

 **Piers:** Is there something you’re not telling us?

 **Mom:** Olivia is Henry’s new girlfriend

 **Charlie:** Sweet!

 **Niki:** But who is Vanessa then?

 **Henry:** Vanessa is Olivia’s daughter

 **Piers:** You are telling us that you have a girlfriend with a daughter?

 **Mom:** A lovely daughter! Tell Olivia that she is doing such a wonderful job. I don’t think I ever met a kid her age that was that polite.

 **Charlie:** When can we meet them?

 **Henry:** Certainly not any time soon. I first want those two to meet mom and dad. You pricks will scare them off probably.

 **Charlie:** I’m great with children!

 **Henry:** Mom, dad, please do me a favor and don’t tell them when I’m bring Olivia and Vanessa over.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that for this fic, Henry’s brothers don’t have kids (nor have wives of girlfriends), so Vanessa will be the first “official” grandchild/niece in the Cavill household 🤗

It’s Friday and that means Vanessa is finally on her autumn break. To celebrate, we’re going to have a sleepover at Henry’s place tonight and Vanessa hasn’t stopped talking about it. The entire way from school to our house, was non stop Vanessa gushing about how excited she is, how nice Henry is to let us sleep at his place and how she is going to cuddle with Kal.

‘I got my toothbrush, my bear and is Henry sure we don’t need to bring pajamas?’ Vanessa asks, when she gets back down from her room.

‘He is sure,’ I say. ‘He bought some for us, remember?’

Vanessa looks a little anxious and I barely see her like that. She is pacing around the living room, looking like a cartoon, desperately trying to think where she hid some of her secret stash of food.

I frown a bit, tilting my head as I watch her. ‘Sweetheart, are you okay?’

‘I’m worried, mommy.’

‘Why is that?’

‘What if Henry doesn’t like us anymore after the sleepover?’

That’s not at all what I expected. I remember the first time I thought those words, when she asked me if puppies could become police officers. Nothing in all those parenting books you read, prepare you for those kind of questions, but the puppies and police officers I can handle, but this…

‘Why wouldn’t he like us anymore after the sleepover?’

She shrugs, but I feel like there is more to it and she knows it. I usher her over and pull her on my lap when she’s close enough. ‘Sweetheart, I don’t understand,’ I whisper. ‘Could you explain why you are worried about that?’

‘My real dad didn’t want me,’ she whispers. ‘What if Henry doesn’t want me?’

I think I start to understand. ‘Is it because you didn’t do anything yet and your biological dad didn’t want you, that you are afraid that Henry gets to know you and doesn’t want you either?’

She nods.

This is my own fault, I think, when I feel a slight panic deep inside of me. I tried to get this girl in touch with her feelings and desperately wanted her to be able to express her emotions. I mean, I’m grateful that I did that, but now I have to answer this.

I press a kiss on Vanessa’s temple. ‘You know what Henry said to me the other day, when you were already in bed?’

She shakes her head, her large brown eyes looking hopeful.

‘He said that he is really fond of you. He was also really impressed with everything you say, everything you do and he couldn’t wait for this sleepover.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. And if you feel worried about it, you can always ask Henry what he thinks about you. If he knows that this is the way you’re feeling, I bet he wants to talk about it.’

Vanessa sighs deeply and I wrap my arms even tighter around her. ‘I’m scared.’

‘I understand. You want me to help you?’ As if it’s on cue, the door opens and we hear a: ‘Hello, hello.’

‘Will you help me ask this, mommy?’ she asks.

‘Of course, my dear.’

Henry walks in the living room with a smile on his face. ‘There are my favorite girls.’ He must notice Vanessa’s anxious look on her face, because he seems instantly worried. ‘What’s wrong?’

Vanessa looks at me, almost panicked and I simply nod. ‘Come over here, Henry,’ I say, patting the spot next to me.

He frowns, but walks over to us, sitting down next to me. He places his hand on the back of the couch and his other hand on Vanessa’s back. ‘Sunshine, what’s wrong?’

‘I’m worried,’ she says in such a tiny voice, something that is very uncharacteristic for her and Henry must notice it too, because his frown is deeper than it was before.

‘What are you worried about?’

Now she looks at me again, causing Henry to look at me too. ‘She is afraid that you don’t want her,’ I say. ‘Because her real dad left before she was born. She’s scared that after the sleepover, you don’t like her anymore.’

I can almost hear Henry’s heart break and it’s written all over his face. I know that, only looking at this moment, Henry is a better dad than Wesley could ever been for Vanessa. ‘Oh, no,’ he says. ‘You don’t have to think that, Vanessa.’ He holds out his arms and she climbs on his lap. ‘I have been looking forward to this sleepover all week and there is no way on earth that I would ever not like you anymore. I’m so happy that when I met your mom, you were there as well, because you, sunshine, have my entire heart.’

‘But what if you only want mommy and not me?’

This is a question that I do understand. It happens all the time: man wants the woman, but not the kid and Vanessa is not stupid. She knows that stuff like that happens all the time. ‘Then I’m going to leave Henry,’ I say to her, before he can say something. ‘Because if that is the case, he is not the man I thought he would be. I don’t want someone who doesn’t want you, because you are my number one and you will always be my girl.’

‘And I would be an absolute idiot if I only wanted your mom and not you. because I would be missing out big time,’ Henry adds. ‘I’m the luckiest man on earth that not only your mother came into my life, but also you, sunshine.’

‘Really?’ she asks, visibly relieved.

Henry nods. ‘Really,’ he confirms.

She smiles and I can see she feels much better than before. She gives me a kiss and presses her nose against Henry’s cheek, causing him to laugh.

‘You feel better, sweetheart?’ I ask.

She nods. ‘A lot better.’

‘Was I right?’

She giggles. ‘Of course, mommy, you’re always right.’

No truer words have been spoken. ‘Go grab your bag, we’re going to Henry’s place,’ I say and she jumps off his lap, to rush upstairs, to grab her bag. ‘You’re amazing, Cavill.’

‘No, you are,’ he says. ‘I’m honestly still amazed by how well you raised her and how she is able to voice her feelings, even if it’s with a bit of help from you.’

I smile at him and give him a kiss on his soft lips. ‘You do mean it, right? What you said to Vanessa?’

He scoffs, as if he is offended, but then he smiles at me. ‘Of course, love.’

I chuckle when I hear his new nickname for me, one that he adopted a few days ago. It’s weird to think that I’m in a relationship with someone like Henry Cavill. Sometimes Belle reminds me that he is a famous actor, but to me he is just Henry, the guy that loves his dog too much, that spends a lot of time thinking about what he can do not only for me, but also for Vanessa.

Maybe we move too fast, but I don’t feel like it’s too fast. It feels just right. We both want something serious, because I have a daughter and he has his own ideas of what he wants.

‘Mommy, I have everything,’ Vanessa says when she’s back in the living room.

‘Even your bear?’ I ask, noticing something is missing.

Her eyes widen. ‘No, be right back!’

≫≫≪≪

Henry might be a magician on the side, because he somehow managed purchase matching pajamas for Vanessa, himself, me and also Kal. The large (and still a bit chubby, he only has seven kilos to go) dog looks like a pouty kindergartner. but as soon as Vanessa peppers his face with kisses and keeps complimenting him on how great she looks, he can’t help but wag his tail.

We spend about two hours in the kitchen. Preparing a soup, making cake and ice cream. Vanessa is sitting on my lap as I help her with her soup. She is perfectly capable of eating her soup by herself, like she always does, but she is in the mood to be babied and if I’m totally honest, I love to baby her.

‘Mommy, did you know that Bettie’s mom is pregnant again?’

Are you fucking kidding me? That woman is pregnant yet again? Does she necessarily need to add a fourth perfect child to her bunch? ‘Oh,’ I say, ‘that’s nice for Bettie’s mom.’ My voice sounds so flat, more like I’m ready to throw some punches, instead of giving my congratulations.

Henry must’ve noticed, because he purses his lips together, almost an attempt to cover up his need to laugh. Since he is sitting next to us, he bumps his knee against mine.

‘Bettie says that her mom is very sick.’

‘That is what can happen when you’re pregnant,’ I tell her. ‘The first few weeks, a mommy can feel very sick.’

‘Like a fever?’ Vanessa asks. ‘Or an ear infection?’

I shake my head. ‘No, like a you’re really nauseous and you have to puke all the the time. Also, you are really tired.’

‘Were you nauseous and tired when you were pregnant with me?’ she asks.

I nod. ‘I was the first few weeks. I had to vomit every time a dog smelled kind of funny.’

‘You were already working in the clinic?’

‘Yes, I was. Auntie Belle had to cover for me a lot. There were even times where I would sleep in the back, on that bed where you slept the other day.’

Vanessa nods and turns around in my lap, so she is facing both me and Henry. ‘Did you like being pregnant with me?’

‘I really did, because I knew that after those nine months, you would make an entrance.’ I give her a kiss on her head. ‘You were such a lovely surprise, sweetheart.’

‘Do you have pictures of when you were pregnant?’ Vanessa asks.

I grab my phone from the table and scroll through the albums. I click on the one that says ‘pregnancy’. Henry plants his hand on the back of my chair and he places his chin on Vanessa’s shoulder, as she scrolls through the many many pictures.

Whenever I have a new phone, I make sure this album is on there. Sometimes I look at the pictures when I’m having a hard time, because they remind me of no matter how hard it was sometimes, I got through that and that means I can get through anything.

I look at the picture of me being about thirty weeks pregnant, sitting on a park bench with a juice box in my hand, frowning at Belle for making a picture of me. ‘You look grumpy,’ Vanessa notes.

‘I was a bit,’ I admit.

‘And I was in there?’ She points at my round belly and I whisper: ‘Yes, you were.’

‘Did you feel me inside your stomach?’

‘I did,’ I say with a smile. ‘You moved a lot. It kept me awake at night from time to time. You’d kick me every now and then and sometimes, you’d kick my bladder, resulting in me having to pee every hour at least once.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she says, followed by a giggle. She scrolls through different pictures and around the last one is when Vanessa was born around an hour before the picture was taken. ‘Was I born here?’

‘Yes, you were an hour old.’

Vanessa nods. ‘Did you cry when I was born?’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘Yes, I did. I was there by myself, Belle was stuck in traffic and I was terrified, because I had no one to support me. Luckily a lovely nurse was there who guided me. And also, it really hurts when babies are born, so yeah, I cried a lot.’

Vanessa nods and asks: ‘Do you ever want another baby?’

I don’t know what to say. Of course I thought about it when Vanessa was growing up. I was wondering how great it would be if I had a husband and eventually more kids. I knew that Vanessa would be such an amazing sister, but years passed and I didn’t meet anyone.

I figured that it would be just Vanessa and me.

But then I met Henry and I know what he wants. I know that he wants to start a family. The entire idea of him being a father for Vanessa and eventual other children…

I’m not opposed to that.

However, I don’t think getting pregnant right away is the right thing to do, since we should work on our relationship first and he and Vanessa should get to know each other even more.

‘Maybe one day,’ I say.

Vanessa smiles. ‘I want to be a big sister. I think I would be a good big sister.’

‘I know you would, sunshine,’ Henry says, while he still looks at the screen. I can almost hear him thinking: _what if we had met sooner, I could’ve been there for you._ He pushes his nose against her cheek, causing her to look at him and do the exact same thing. They look at each other for a minute, before Vanessa burst out in laughter.

‘You are silly, Henry,’ she says.

‘Why?’ he asks.

‘You just are.’

‘I agree,’ I add and Henry gasps, before he asks: ‘It’s two against one now, is it?’

‘Mommy and I are a team,’ Vanessa says. ‘Of course it’s two against one.’

Henry pouts and I know better than to believe he is actually hurt, but Vanessa reaches out to him, holding his face between her tiny hands. ‘Don’t be sad, Superman. You are a team with Kal.’

I place my hand in the back of Henry’s neck and say: ‘Yeah, guys against us girls, right?’

He chuckles. ‘Yeah, you’re right,’ he says. ‘I think I have a great idea, we just have to ask your mom.’

Vanessa’s eyes widen already, desperate to know what his great idea is.

‘Should we get the cake?’

‘But what about my soup?’ she asks. ‘Mommy, can I leave my soup and eat some cake?’

I pretend to be thinking about this suggestion long and hard. ‘Well, it is the first day of your autumn break, so I think we can finish the soup tomorrow.’

‘Really?’

‘Really,’ I say to her. ‘How about you and Kal go sit on the couch, so you can pick out a movie and Henry and I will get some cake?’

She jumps off my lap and with Kal she plops on the couch, grabbing the remote. Henry and I walk towards the kitchen, but before he can grab the cake mold, I hold his hand and ask him: ‘What is on your mind, mister Cavill?’

He sighs. ‘When we were looking at those pictures,’ he says in a low tone, ‘I kept thinking what would’ve happened if we met sooner.’

I knew it. I smile and stand on my tippy toes, to give him a kiss. ‘I know, but you’re in my life right now and I’m so grateful for that.’

He nods carefully. ‘I do think that Vanessa would be a great big sister,’ he whispers, before he chuckles. ‘I don’t want to rush anything, but…’

‘It’s good for us to think about that,’ I add. ‘Don’t worry, you won’t scare me away.’

We walk back to the kitchen with a plate with sliced cake and we sit on the couch. Vanessa’s curled up on Henry’s lap, probably her favorite spot nowadays. She chose to watch Frozen and I hear her singing along. Henry has a beautiful singing voice and sometimes he sings with her when she specifically asks.

However she saves the honor of singing “In Summer” by Olaf for me.

Vanessa is singing along with the “For The First Time In Forever” reprise, and I can’t believe that this is my life now. Did I become such a lucky woman to not only have the sweetest daughter alive, but also to have met a man that treats Vanessa like she is his own daughter?

I push myself off the couch when the song is over and I ask if someone wants something to drink.

‘Lemonade, mommy,’ Vanessa says with a smile.

‘Some water, love.’

I nod and walk towards the kitchen, but when I’m there, I feel some tears involuntarily run over my cheeks. I bury my face in my hands, trying not to make any sound. I shouldn’t be crying, I should be happy.

‘Mommy, are you okay?’ I hear Vanessa ask, nearly causing me to yelp.

I quickly dry my tears. ‘I’m fine, sweetheart.’

She frowns. ‘You’re crying.’

‘I’m not crying,’ I tell her, but lying to her feels so wrong. ‘Okay, I was, but—’

‘Superman, mommy is crying,’ Vanessa yells and it takes about a second before Henry is in the kitchen. Maybe he really is Superman, moving around like lightening speed. ‘What’s wrong, love?’

‘It’s nothing,’ I say, a chuckle leaving my lips. ‘I was just thinking about how happy I am.’

‘And that made you cry?’ Vanessa asks, totally not understanding why on earth I would be crying if I’m happy.

‘Sometimes people do that, sweetheart,’ I tell her. ‘People cry because they are so happy. I told you once about happy tears, right?’

She nods. ‘And these are happy tears?’

‘They are. I kept thinking about how lucky I am to not only have the cutest daughter in the world, but that Superman is here as well.’

Vanessa holds out her arms and I lift her up, a thing that I still cherish, because one day I might not be able to do that anymore. ‘We are very lucky that Superman is in our lives, right?’

‘We are,’ I whisper.

Vanessa wipes away some of the tears and ushers Superm— _Henry_ to come over. He wraps his strong arms around the two of us and presses a kiss on my forehead. ‘I’m very lucky to have you two ladies in my life,’ he says. ‘And Kal is really lucky too.’

‘Yeah, because without mommy, Kal would’ve been really fat by now.’

He pokes her side. ‘You’re just like your mom,’ he laughs. ‘It’s already hard enough to hear from her that Kal is fat, do you need to start too?’

She nods, a smile on her face. ‘Mommy, how much weight does Kal need to lose?’

‘Around seven kilos.’

‘When he lost seven kilos, I’ll never say a word about it.’ Vanessa crosses her heart and I can’t help but laugh. ‘But he is still fat right now.’

Henry looks at Vanessa and smiles. ‘But you love him, don’t you?’

‘Of course I do. We just want him to be healthy,’ Vanessa says and I know that she heard me say that more than once.

‘So we can love him longer,’ I add.

Vanessa gives me a hug and asks: ‘Mommy, you’re not sad anymore?’

‘I’m not, sweetheart. I wasn’t even in the first place.’

She whispers something in Henry’s ear and wiggles herself out of my arms and rushes towards the living room, probably to cuddle up with Kal again. ‘What did she say?’ I ask.

‘That I should give you a kiss,’ he laughs. ‘And I’ll happily do that.’

≫≫≪≪

Henry’s mother calls him the next day, to ask him if we are able to come over. I could tell from his body language that he wasn’t sure, but Vanessa heard that Marianne asked us to come over. She was so happy and already excited about seeing mrs. Marianne and mister Colin again, that he said yes.

We get out of the car. Vanessa walks in front of us, with Kal right next to her on the leash. I hold Henry’s hand and say to him: ‘If Vanessa says something you don’t like or she does something you don’t want her to do, you can just tell her that. She may not understand it right then and there, but she will when you tell her about it later on.’

He nods. ‘You know, that’s not even what I’m worried about.’

‘About what are you worried then?’

‘My mother promised me that she wouldn’t tell my brothers when you two would come over, but I’m scared that they are there. They are desperate to meet you and Vanessa.’

I frown. ‘Why is that a bad thing?’

‘It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that I want you to meet my family, but not all at once. I know that Vanessa will be overwhelmed and I don’t want you to feel pressured. My brothers can be quite a lot and I need to have a good talk with them before they can meet you two. You and Vanessa are very important to me and I don’t want them to scare you away.’

I feel like I can handle a few nosey brothers, but hearing how he knows that Vanessa will be overwhelmed, nearly changes me into a puddle. We are important to him… I squeeze his hand. ‘You are the biggest sweetheart I have ever met.’

‘It’s not that I’m actively trying to prevent you two from having and gaining a family, don’t get me wrong… I just want to take certain things a bit slower and this is one of them.’

‘I understand and we’ll go at your pace,’ I say. I bring our hands to my lips, to press a kiss on his fingers. ‘Do you think your parents will like us?’

‘They already love you two,’ he confirms. ‘So don’t you worry about a thing. Sunshine,’ he says loudly to Vanessa, ‘it’s right there. You go knock on the door.’

Vanessa sprints with Kal to the door and knocks on it. When we’re closer, the door opens. ‘Mrs. Marianne,’ Vanessa says with a smile, when her eyes land on the woman in the doorway.

‘Oh, Vanessa,’ Marianne says with a smile even brighter, ‘you look pretty today.’

Vanessa giggles and admits: ‘Mommy picked this out for me.’

‘Well, your mom did a great job. I nearly feel underdressed.’

Vanessa shakes her head. ‘You don’t need to. I think you look very beautiful, mrs. Marianne.’ I watch as my daughter wraps her arms around Henry’s mother waist and it almost makes me feel like a bad mother, for not being able to give her the grandparents she deserves.

Vanessa and Kal walk into the house, while Henry gives his mother a hug. ‘I missed you, sweetheart,’ Marianne says to her son. Great, I now not only feel like a failure of a mother, I’m also jealous.

‘Olivia, you look like a million bucks,’ Marianne says, before engulfing me in a hug. ‘You and your daughter look so much alike.’

‘Thank you, Marianne and also thank you for inviting us.’

We walk into the lovely home and I see Vanessa is already on her way to Colin. ‘Mister Colin, mister Colin,’ she says, announcing herself to the older man.

‘There she is,’ he says with a smile. ‘Did Henry tell you I made a joke the other day?’

She nods, before giving him a tight hug. ‘He did. Do you have new shoes now?’

He sticks out his leg, showing her the new shiny black shoes. ‘You like them?’

Vanessa sighs deeply and the frown between her brows is deepening. She rushes towards me and asks: ‘Can I lie?’

‘About what?’ I ask.

‘I don’t like his shoes, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings.’

The thing I love the most about Vanessa, is that she always wants to be considerate, but doesn’t know that everyone can hear her when she asks me for advice. Maybe one day she’ll know. I exchange looks with Henry, trying to hold back a chuckle. ‘Tell him that you think the shoes fit him.’

She nods and walks to Colin, who tries to hide a smile. ‘I think that those shoes are exactly something that would fit you,’ she says. Even better than what I suggested.

‘Well, good thing, then,’ he chuckles. ‘Because I have to wear them.’

‘Right.’

Henry told me his brothers don’t have kids yet and while all five of the Cavill guys still have plenty of time left, he also knows that his parents really want grandkids. Seeing the interaction between my daughter and his parents…

‘Would you guys like something to drink?’ Marianne asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

‘Some tea, mom, thanks,’ Henry says, wiping his hands on his jeans. He is more nervous than I thought he would be.

‘I would love tea, Marianne. Vanessa, darling, what do you want to drink?’

Vanessa sits next to Colin and tilts her head. ‘Mrs. Marianne, do you have lemonade?’

‘I do have strawberry lemonade.’

Vanessa nods. ‘I would love that.’

‘Please, let me help you,’ I offer Marianne and the two of us walk towards the kitchen. ‘You have a lovely home.’

‘Oh dear, you are too sweet.’ Marianne puts some water into the kettle and I grab some mugs and a glass for Vanessa. ‘I don’t know if Henry told you, but I absolutely am amazed by your daughter. You are doing such a great job.’

My heart swells and I chuckle nervously. ‘Oh thank you.’

‘And I can see how much you two love each other,’ she continues. ‘Henry is really happy with the two of you. His brothers keep pestering him about meeting the two of you, but he wants to take it a bit slower.’

‘He told me indeed.’

‘But he did send a picture in our family groups chat yesterday.’ Marianne looks around the kitchen and grabs her phone when she found it. She scrolls through the chat and hands me the phone.

I feel like I’m already part of the family, though I’ve only been here for less than five minutes. Who hands her phone to someone who is basically a stranger? I see Henry send a picture of the four of us on the couch. He desperately wanted to take a picture of us in our matching pajamas and the fact that he decided that this would be the best one to share with his family, warms my heart.

Vanessa sits on his lap, while Kal has his head on my shoulder. Henry placed a heavy hand on my leg and it almost looks like a Christmas card. The only thing that misses is the: ‘Merry Christmas! Lovely wishes from the Cavills.’

_Oh my God, the Cavills._

**Charlie:** Just going to put this out there: Olivia is way out of your league and that’s why she should dump you and take me instead.

 **Niki:** You guys look like a family

 **Simon:** Are you sure we can’t meet her? I really want to meet the woman that fell for you, when there are four other Cavills way better than you.

 **Henry:** Shut your faces.

 **Piers:** Guys, be nice.

 **Henry:** Thanks

 **Piers:** You know we can’t bully him too much when he is desperately in love.

I can’t help but laugh. ‘From the looks of it, you raised five men who are very close with each other.’

‘Oh dear, they are,’ she says with a proud smile. ‘Can I ask something?’

I already know what she wants to know. ‘Vanessa’s biological father didn’t want to be part of her life, because he left the second I told him I was pregnant,’ I answer her unasked question.

‘Well, he is missing out,’ she tells me.

‘I’m sorry if Vanessa is overstepping any boundaries. She is not used to having sort of grandparents. My family didn’t want anything to do with me when they also found out I was pregnant, so she doesn’t really know how that goes.’

‘Oh no.’ Marianne places her hand on my arm. ‘Honey, that is terrible. I’m so sorry. The two of you don’t deserve that.’

No, I think to myself. I didn’t deserve that indeed and neither did Vanessa. I clear my throat and force a smile on my face, not wanting to look like an emotional mess when I barely know the woman yet.

‘You two are always welcome here,’ she says. ‘Remember that, okay? If there is something you need, a babysitter or anything: call us. We’re retired, bored and in desperate need of grandchildren.’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘I’ll remember that, thank you, Marianne.’

Spending time with Henry’s parents is something I never thought I would enjoy as much as I do. Being part of a bigger family, is something I desperately wanted and really needed too. I watch as Vanessa is still sitting next to Colin, looking at the pictures of Henry in the book. She leans with her head against the older man’s shoulder and Marianne sits next to her, telling stories about the pictures.

I pull Henry to the side and say: ‘Thank you.’

He frowns a bit. ‘For what, love?’

‘For bringing us here.’ We stand near a window and both look at Vanessa being sandwiched by his parents, a smile on her face when Marianne says something about a picture. ‘Your mom showed me the picture you send yesterday.’

‘I could’ve known,’ he laughs uncomfortably. ‘I’m sorry, I should’ve asked you.’

I shake my head. ‘It’s all okay. It’s just that I’m really happy and grateful that you have such a lovely family. I already feel so welcomed and I know Vanessa that too.’

Henry smiles and he pulls me in a hug. I bury my face in his chest and let out a content sigh. ‘I’m happy that I can bring you here, love,’ he says, ‘and that you feel welcomed.’

I look up and smile. ‘Thank you for giving me the opportunity to finally give Vanessa what she deserves.’


	8. Chapter 8

This might be the first time Henry and Olivia are actually alone _alone_. It’s Thursday evening during the autumn break and Vanessa is at a sleepover from a girl from her class. Vanessa was really looking forward to it and to be honest: Henry was too.

He loved the times that Vanessa was with them, but to spend some time with Olivia and Olivia only, is something that he didn’t know he also really wanted.

The entire night was filled with cooking, Henry hugging her, her giving him massages, tons of kisses and now he watches Olivia as she does some tricks with Kal. Is there anything she can’t do?

‘And now go home,’ she tells Kal and he trots over to the blanket that he usually lays on, when they are at Olivia’s place. She plops on the couch with Henry and he can’t believe that this woman is his girlfriend. How long did he wished for someone like her? He wraps an arm around her, while his other hand toys with the bottom of his own shirt that Olivia is wearing. ‘What are you trying to do, mister Cavill?’ she chuckles.

‘Nothing,’ he whispers with a sly smile on his face. ‘It’s still unbelievable that you are part of my life now.’

‘I know.’ Olivia presses her lips on his and he opens his mouth as a response, allowing their tongues to meet. He pulls her leg over his, so she’s sitting on his lap. Her slender hands are placed on both sides of his face. ‘Is this okay?’ she asks, when she pulls away as he slightly stiffens up.

‘More than okay, love. It’s just that… I can’t do this when Kal is watching us.’

She looks to the side and sees Kal placed his head on the couch, indeed watching them, almost with a smile on his face. She snorts. ‘We can go upstairs if you want to.’

‘I would love to,’ he whispers.

Olivia wants to step off his lap, but he secures her safely against his body and stands up. She squeals and pleads for him to put her down, but instead he holds her a little tighter. While he climbs up the stairs, he presses kisses in her exposed neck and when she starts to laugh, he says: ‘Good to know I found a delicate spot there.’

He gently places her on the bed and smiles at the woman underneath him, as he is caging her in between his arms. ‘You are so beautiful, love,’ he whispers against her lips, before kissing her like they did downstairs. ‘God, you are my girlfriend. How is that possible?’

She wraps her legs around his hips. ‘Well, you are my boyfriend and I still try to process how that is possible, since you are utter perfection.’

‘You are too, love.’

She places her hands on his chest and he feels her nails digging into the hard muscles. ‘I really want to take this step,’ she admits, ‘but I’m a bit out of practice. It has been a few years.’

He nods, admiring her honesty. ‘Just tell me when you want to stop and I’ll stop right away.’

Olivia unbuttons his shirt and he can’t believe he is actually nervous for her to see him shirtless. To get through his days, he spends a lot of time in the gym and he has been buffed up more than a few weeks ago, but somehow he is afraid of what she’ll think. What if she thinks it’s too much? What if she doesn’t like it?

She pushes the fabric over his shoulders and he helps her a bit by throwing off the piece of fabric. ‘You’re so handsome, Henry.’ She turns them both around, so she’s sitting on top of him. her hands pushing his upper body deeper into the mattress. Her hair falls in front of her beautiful face and he reaches out to push some strands behind her ear, cupping her face afterwards.

She leans over, kissing his jaw, before she dips her head in the crook of his neck. She leaves behind wet kisses and he suppresses a groan. Henry can already feel his jeans grow tighter around his groin and he nearly curses himself, for being such a teenager, unable to hold it in.

_But that’s what Olivia is doing to him._

She steps off of him, off the bed, as she leaves a trail of sloppy kisses from his neck, to his collarbone, over his chest, further down and down. She unbuckles his belt and looks up.

For someone who claims to be out of practice, she seems to know exactly what she’s doing to make him feel so good and nearly lose his mind, while she barely started. He raises his hips, so she can pull not only his jeans, but also his underwear down his legs.

This has never happened to him before, Henry thinks to himself, him being totally naked, while the woman he is about to have sex with, is still fully dressed.

Henry is not complaining though.

She places her hands on his thick thighs, before scraping with her nails over his skin, leaving marks burning with sensation.

‘Fuck Olivia,’ he hisses with a clenched jaw. Does she have any idea what she’s doing to him?

‘Can I?’ she asks.

He props himself on his elbow, watching the woman who is kneeling between his legs, as they dangle off the edge of the bed, feet planted on the floor. ‘Of course, darling.’

She wraps her delicate fingers around his member, slowly dragging her tongue across the base, all the way to his tip, where she licks the small droplets of pre cum up. All while she looks at him with a certain look on her face. He reaches down and entangles his fingers through her thick hair. She slowly but surely takes him in, more and more. Her warm mouth engulfing him and he feels her taking him in deeper, until he hits the back of her throat.

_Shit, this woman is skilled._

Henry involuntarily bucks up his hips and when he hears Olivia gag around him, he instantly feels bad. ‘I’m sorry, love,’ he quickly says. ‘I…’

She looks up and bites her lips as she laughs. ‘It’s okay, Henry. It’s good to know that I still got it.’

As much as he wants her to continue this, he knows he’ll cum in a matter of seconds he lets her do her thing.

He gently tugs her hair, forcing her to look up at him and sits up straight, as he brings he face closer to hers. He kisses her and whispers: ‘Get undressed, love.’

Olivia simply nods and gets up. She pulls off her shirt and shimmies out of her pants. He admires her body, only to notice that she has more tattoos. She has one on her ribcage, also the outlines of a flower and on her leg another one. a butterfly.

‘How many tattoos have you been hiding for me, love?’ he asks.

‘Only those.’

He pulls her closer and she sits on his lap. He presses kisses in her neck, before he trails down to her collarbones to the valley of her breasts. His fingers find the clasp of her bra and once he undoes her from it, he licks his lips. However she stops him before he can cup one of her breasts in his hands. ‘What’s wrong?’

She clears her throat and from the looks of it, she is all of the sudden a lot more insecure than moments earlier and it kills him that she is feeling like that. ‘You’re the first one who sees me naked in this setting after the pregnancy,’ she says, a deep blush on her face.

He wants to feel honored, but from the look on her face, he almost feels bad if he beams with pride that he is the first to see her naked after the pregnancy.

‘I don’t know, Henry. ‘What if…’ She sighs deeply, not finishing the sentence.

‘Listen sweetheart,’ he says, ‘you are beautiful and you have nothing to worry about. If you don’t want to continue this, then I understand, but remember: to me, no one is prettier, more beautiful and more breathtaking than you. I’m such a lucky man, but I only want to continue if you want to.’

She blushes, giving him a kiss on his forehead. ‘You’re quite something, Henry.’

He pushes her down the mattress and leans to to kiss her lips. If he could, he’d be kissing her entire body tonight, showing her how much he loves her.

_Loves her?_

Is that possible?

He means, they do love each other right? Everything they do, it happens in the fifth gear. They don’t take it slow, but that’s not what they both wanted. They wanted to know what they were up to and loving each other is only the next step.

He lets his tongue flick around her hardened nipple. He leaves a trail of kisses, before he reaches her stomach. He notices a few stretch marks on her stomach and his tongue traces over the lines. Henry looks up to check her reaction and he sees the slightest discomfort written on her face. He pushes himself up again, so he is laying down on his side next to her. His hand firmly placed in the dip of her waist, as he pulls her closer to him. ‘Tell me what’s on your mind.’

‘It’s just that I hate those.’

‘These?’ he asks confused, his fingers going from her waist to the marks on her skin.

She nods.

‘Why?’

Now Olivia shrugs. ‘They are so dark,’ she mumbles. ‘It’s such an obvious contrast.’

Henry gives her a kiss. ‘I love them,’ he says. ‘They show me how you grew an entire human in there. They’re like battle scars.’

She chuckles at the cliche. ‘Idiot.’

‘You still want to continue?’

‘Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m totally killing the mood.’

He shakes his head. ‘You’re not. We should talk about this and I’m happy that you feel safe enough to tell me.’ He lifts her up, so he can place her better on the bed; her head on the pillow and he pulls off her underwear. He spreads her legs, noticing the slick wetness between her folds. Henry sucks on her inner thighs, earning exactly the reaction he was hoping for: a strangled moan from Olivia. He lets his tongue slide between her legs and she even tastes better than he thought. He wants to tease her, but he grows impatient himself, causing him to dive in. His nose bumps against the the sensitive bundle of nerves. Olivia bucks up her hips as a response and lets her fingers run through his locks, pulling him even closer. He lets go of her aching cunt, to wet his own fingers, sliding one slowly into her. ‘Henry, one more,’ she begs in a soft voice and he happily gives her what she wants and what she deserves. His tongue flick over her clit, while he thrusts his fingers in and out of her. He moans against her sensitive numb.

Olivia wraps her legs around his head, her thighs nearly stopping all the blood flow, but he doesn’t mind. He actually doesn’t even care.

She’s growing more and more wet every second that passes by and he feels her walls tightening around his fingers. ‘Henry, don’t stop,’ she gasps.

She tumbles over the edge, her legs shaking as she fists his hair. Strangled gasps leave her lips, as she rides out her high. Henry pulls his fingers out of her, sucking them clean. Olivia’s body is covered in a thin layer of sweat. She lets out a soft laugh and says: ‘You know what you’re doing, mister Cavill.’

He buffs out his chest, before he chuckles. ‘You still want to continue this?’

She simply nods, before she pulls him on top of her, his chest against hers. His lips fall perfectly on hers. ‘Henry,’ she whispers, ‘I don’t want to say stuff too soon, but there is something on my mind.’

He frowns, while he feels all sorts of panic through his body. She is not as into him as he is into her. He is going too fast. He smells like rotten eggs.

_‘I love you.’_

Henry clears his throat. Did he hear that correctly? The most beautiful and strongest woman in the world loves him? All his worries before, they were all for nothing, because she feels the exact same way. He smiles and says: ‘Good thing I love you too.’

Why does she seems so surprised? ‘Really?’

He nods. ‘I love you so much, darling.’ Henry notices a few tears in her eyes and he presses a kiss on her forehead. She has been emotional a lot this week and he can’t fathom under how much stress she was these past years. She pushed it all aside, wanting the best thing for her daughter and it’s admirable. But now there is someone in her life who can take away certain things, taking over stuff, so she’s under less stress. And it’s all catching up with her now.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, please don’t feel sorry,’ he tells her. ‘And you should let it all out. It’s not good for you to bottle it up.’

She chuckles. ‘Are you using my own words against me now, Cavill?’

‘I guess I am. It’s just that you are so wise, that it’s only a smart thing to repeat everything you say.’

She gives him a kiss, before her hand trails down, wrapping her fingers around his throbbing cock and whispers: ‘You keep asking me if I still want to continue, but what about you?’

‘More than anything.’

She lets her thumb run over his tip and he hisses as a response. He lines himself up nearher entrance and slowly pushes his length into her. He carefully watches her facial expressions, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. ‘Fuck, Henry,’ she chokes out.

‘You’re okay?’

‘I’m fine, it’s just that you’re so big.’ She lets out a chuckle and when he bottoms out, she lets her head fall back against the pillow.

He smiles at the sight of her, never has he seen her this vulnerable. He pulls out a bit, before he slides back into her. Within a few seconds, their bodies have synchronized with each other, her tight walls wrapped around his member. ‘Faster,’ she whispers.

His following thrust is not only faster, but also a lot harder, since he can barely contain himself anymore. He pushes her hands deep into the mattress and crashes his lips on hers. She moans against his lips. The room is filled with the sounds of skin slapping against each other, how obscenely wet Olivia is and a mix of their moans.

Henry notices a tear dripping on her cheek and he kisses it away. ‘I love you so much, baby,’ he whispers.

‘I love you too, Henry. So so much.’

He lets go of one of her wrists, so he can flick her clit with his fingers. He watches her closely, her eyes rolling back as her body jolts because of the sudden touch. She is falling apart slowly underneath him.

‘I’m close again, Henry,’ she sobs, biting her lip and she wraps her free hand around his bicep. ‘Please don’t stop.’

‘I won’t,’ he tells her. ‘And I’m close too.’

He needs to hold off the moment, needs to wait before he releases himself.

‘You want me to pull out?’ he asks.

Olivia shakes her head. ‘No, no, I’m on birth control, don’t you worry.’ She lets out a loud moan and he feels her tightening around him, causing him to clench his jaw. Olivia starts to shake underneath him and as she rides out her high, he smiles at her, still in awe of the kind of woman she is.

She whimpers, saying something along the lines of how sensitive it is, but he kisses her cheek, whispering: ‘I’m really close, sweetheart. Can you continue for me? If not, just say so.’

‘I can,’ she softly cries out.

Seeing her like this, pushes him over the edge a lot faster than he thought. His thrusts turn sloppy and he groans against her soft and wet cheek as he cums. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and he lets out a deep sigh. He stays inside her for a moment, as he feels himself slowly soften inside her. Before he pulls out, he gives her a kiss and sits up straight, admiring his work for a few moments.

For a second he wonders what he would do if she actually got pregnant now. It would be way too early in their relationship, but would he mind?

 _Not at all._ Deep down he already knows that this is the woman he wants to be the mother of his kids.

‘Are you okay, love?’ he asks, as he pats her thighs.

‘I am,’ she says. ‘But I think we need to change the sheets and I could use a shower.’

‘Say no more.’ He pulls her up and throws her over his shoulder, softly smacking her but in the process. He hears her squeal, while she slaps his back. He turns on the shower and when the water is finally a nice temperature, he steps in, holding the tiny woman in his arms. ‘I love you,’ he whispers. ‘You know I’m going to say this every day to you now?’

She nods. ‘I know and I don’t mind. You don’t think it’s too soon?’

He shakes his head. ‘When you know, you just know.’

≫≫≪≪

After their shower and a quick change of the sheets, he feels her limb body against his. It’s around one a.m. now and Olivia was fast asleep, but Henry can’t seem to find his rest. He is thinking about her and a future together.

Of course he wants to get to know her a lot better, but what he told her: when you know, you just know. And that’s the case between them and as Olivia told him time and time again, she doesn’t have time for bullshit. She wants something serious and so does he.

He keeps thinking about the pregnancy pictures he saw of her the other day and he meant it: what if they had met sooner? He could’ve been there for her and Vanessa. But he wasn’t and instead of thinking in only ‘what if’-scenario’s, he’d rather enjoy every moment he gets to cherish with Olivia and Vanessa.

The room lights up, before Olivia’s phone start to ring. She is faster awake then he would’ve guessed and picks up the phone. ‘Olivia,’ she says as she answers, before cuddling Henry again. ‘Oh really? … Yes, of course, I’ll be there in a minute … I’m so sorry … No, please, it’s okay … I’ll be there shortly. Okay, bye.’

‘What’s wrong?’ he asks.

‘Vanessa woke up and has been crying non stop, because she wants to go home.’

Henry flicks on the light on the nightstand, before he gets up out of bed. ‘Poor thing.’

‘Can I borrow your car?’ she asks.

He simply scoffs. ‘I’m going with you, love,’ he tells her. ‘I’m not going to let you go by yourself.’

She chuckles, throwing on a sweater and some matching sweatpants, before she slips on some socks and her shoes. ‘Are you sure?’ she asks. ‘You can stay here and sleep if you want.’

‘Of course I am sure.’ He quickly gets himself a bit decent and walks over to her, giving her a long kiss. ‘Ready, love?’

Olivia nods and the two of them walk down the stairs. Kal sits up straight on the couch from the sudden movement in the house and Henry clicks his tongue, so the big canine follows them to the car. Henry thinks Vanessa would maybe like it if Kal was there to comfort her.

He rubs his face, as he is still a bit groggy from being up all of the sudden, but once he is in the car, he looks behind him to check the carseat. It still lightens up his mood, seeing the carseat with bears in the back of his car, even when the two of them aren’t with him. It reminds him of how he is getting closer and closer to get a family, though it feels like he is already part of the Tran household. ‘I don’t want to look like an idiot, but tonight was amazing,’ he admits, as he drives off.

Olivia smiles. ‘I know.’ She holds onto his hand with both of hers and sighs deeply. ‘Sometimes it’s still a bit surreal that this is my life now.’

‘You deserve it,’ he whispers, turning right at the traffic lights.

‘I love you, Henry Cavill.’

‘Oh, Olivia Tran, I love you way more.’

Henry stops in front of the house of the girl where Vanessa was sleeping at and Olivia gives him a quick kiss, before she says: ‘I’ll be right back.’

She rushes towards the house, where the front door already opens. Olivia starts talking with the woman who opened the door and she gets inside.

Kal places his head on Henry’s shoulder and he gives him a kiss on the dog’s nose. ‘Hi buddy,’ he says. ‘Your favorite girl is coming back.’

Kal whines, giving his owner a lick.

‘You like it when we’re at Olivia’s and Vanessa’s, don’t you? Good thing I like it too and I feel like I owe you a thank you for vomiting over my new carpet. Otherwise I never would’ve met Olivia and Vanessa.’

Henry can’t help but smile when he sees Olivia and Vanessa coming out of the house, Vanessa rubbing her eyes as they wave to all the little girls that seem to be very sad that she is leaving.

Olivia helps Vanessa in her carseat. As she is getting strapped into the seat, he turns around in his seat, so he can look at the little girl, who is still a bit teary eyed. ‘Hi sunshine,’ he says.

‘Hi Henry,’ she mumbles, again rubbing her eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Why are you sorry?’ he asks her.

‘Because I didn’t stay at the sleepover.’

Olivia gets in the car on the passengers seat and says: ‘You don’t need to feel sorry for that. Besides, you stayed longer this time than last year, remember?’

‘You’re not mad?’ Vanessa asks.

Henry shakes his head. ‘Of course not, Vanessa. We are proud of you. And you know, you just got homesick, it happens to the best of us. I remember when I was younger and I was sleeping at my grandma. I cried so hard, that I didn’t notice that I peed myself.’

Vanessa starts to giggle. ‘Silly Henry,’ she says. ‘I didn’t pee myself.’

‘That’s because you are a big girl,’ Olivia says, ‘and you are tougher than you think, sweetheart.’

Kal nudges his head against her face and Vanessa leans against him, happy that the big loyal dog is here with her. He places his head on her lap and while she is patting his head, Henry sees in the rearview mirror that she falls asleep when they are almost home.

After he stopped in front of their house, he says to Olivia: ‘I’ll carry her back inside.’

He carries the young girl in his arms and Olivia can’t help but smile at them. Once they are inside, she says: ‘Place her in my bed, I’ll be right up.’

He carries her up and he places her in the middle of the bed, before he changes back into his pajamas. Olivia walks into the room again and does the same, before she gets into the bed, just like Henry. Vanessa stirs a bit, before she rolls on top of Henry, placing her head in the crook of his neck.

Olivia smiles and curls up beside Henry. ‘You don’t mind?’ she asks, stroking through Vanessa’s hairs.

‘Not at all, sweetheart. This is right where I want to be.’

He flicks off the light and Olivia places her head against his shoulder. ‘Sleep tight, darling,’ she whispers.

‘Sleep tight, love.’


	9. Chapter 9

It’s Sunday, November 12th and that means exactly seven years have passed since Vanessa was born. Seven whole years have flown by and I can’t believe my little girl is already seven. I crouch down in front of the picture that stands on the coffee table and I see every single day, but today it has such a different meaning and it nearly makes me want to cry.

Vanessa just turned one on this picture and we are eating the icing of the cake. She only fell face first into the cake and her face is smudged with icing and I’m dying of laughter in the picture.

‘So, all the presents are on the table,’ Henry says. ‘Do you want me to start on the pancakes?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ I say, though I barely registered what he said and with the picture in my hand, I stand up as I stare at the picture.

Henry’s arms snake around my waist and he gives me a kiss on my temple. ‘Are you okay?’

I shrug. ‘It’s just hard to believe that she turns seven already,’ I admit. ‘It seemed like yesterday that I found out I was pregnant with her, that she was born and scared the living shit out of me multiple times, making me completely doubt my parental skills. She shoved a bead up her nose, she fell out of her high chair and had a small concussion and even broke her leg when she fell down the stairs. Besides those accidents, she somehow still grew up to be the girl she is today.’

Henry chuckles. ‘That’s what little girls do, love. They grow up.’

I nod. ‘I know, I know and I want her to grow up, but… I feel like I’m not enjoying each moment enough and I blink with my eyes and she’ll turn sixteen.’

‘I know you are enjoying each moment enough.’

Since Vanessa came home from that sleepover, she really likes it when Henry sleeps over, so we can all cram up in my bed. Kal’s blanket has moved from the couch with us to my bedroom, so he can be there with us too. Sometimes Vanessa secretly ushers him on the bed, when she thinks Henry and I are already asleep. When we wake up the next morning, Henry tells me that we should buy a bigger bed.

Every single time.

‘Shall I start with the pancakes, love?’ Henry asks.

‘Yes, thank you.’

He nods, burying his face in the crook of my neck and pressing tons of kisses there. ‘I love you and I’m happy that we can spend this day together.’

‘Of course,’ I say, as we walk to the kitchen. ‘Why wouldn’t we want to spend it with you, honey?’

‘Well, for six years it has just been the two of you,’ he says, as he grabs the bowl filled with the batter that he already preparedy. He stirs a few times, before he adds: ‘And now I can be part of that too. I mean, we’re going to my parents in the afternoon to celebrate her birthday. It’s still surreal that you want me here, to be honest.’

I can’t help but chuckle and wrap my arms around his hips. ‘Henry, you are part of our little family now,’ I whisper. ‘Get yourself ready, because we are going to spend Christmas together, New Years Eve and all the other good stuff.’

He bites his lip and says: ‘Thank you, Olivia.’

I let him bake the pancakes, but I can’t help but be curious. ‘You really want us to meet your brothers today?’

He nods. ‘I talked to them, all four of them individually and the other day when we were at my parents and told them how they should behave. They can embarrass me, but they have to be nice to the two of you. I don’t want them to scare you away.’ He puts some butter in the pan and as that melts, he continues by saying: ‘They all bought a gift off of the list that Vanessa gave you, so that must go well.’

‘Are you nervous, Henry?’ I ask him. ‘For us meeting your brothers?’

‘Is it that obvious?’ he laughs and I can’t help but let out a chuckle. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just that I brought home girlfriends before, you know and they were always really nice to them, but they embarrassed the living daylights out of me, probably scaring the girlfriends a bit in the process. But I don’t want that to happen today.’

‘I think your parents will be on the look out too,’ I chuckle. The other day we were at his parents’ again and Marianne kept gushing about how she has never seen Henry like he is with us and that she is so happy that we are in their lives now. ‘Marianne and Colin very much like Vanessa and according to Colin, he likes my daughter more than he likes his own sons, so there is not much to worry about, sweetheart. However,’ I say, ‘I do think it’s adorable that you worry this much about us meeting your brothers. It shows us that you really care.’

Henry blushes and lets out a bit of a nervous chuckle. He continues to bake pancakes and when he finished up the last one, I hear tiny footsteps on the stairs, followed by the sound of dog nails hitting the carpet.

‘I’m seven years old, mommy,’ Vanessa yells, as she jumps in my arms.

‘I know, sweetheart. Happy birthday.’ I give her a big kiss and from the looks of it, she is really happy and hyper. ‘You feel like a big girl now?’

‘I do, I do, I do.’ She hugs me tightly and I let out a content sigh, as I press my nose in her hairs. ‘I love you, mommy,’ she says.

‘I love you too,’ I say with a smile. ‘Mommy is really proud of you, you know that?’

She smiles and gives me another kiss. ‘I know,’ she cheekily says and I put her down on the floor. ‘Superman, I’m seven now.’

‘I know, sunshine. You’re getting old.’

‘Not as old as you,’ she retorts and I’m so happy that I am raising a sassy little girl. She jumps in his arms and he kisses her cheek, before he says: ‘Happy birthday, Vanessa.’

‘You are making pancakes?’ she asks, wrapping her arms around his neck.

‘Not just pancakes. I made birthday pancakes, especially for you.’

Vanessa’s eyes grow wider. ‘Really?’

‘Of course,’ he says, nearly scoffing with a chuckle. ‘You only turn seven once and we have to celebrate that with special birthday pancakes. I put some chocolate in it, because I know how much you like that.’

Vanessa looks over her shoulder at me and says: ‘I love this birthday already.’

I lean against the doorway and blink my eyes a little faster. I don’t want to be emotional, but these past weeks have been such a rollercoaster and my feelings are trying to find a new normal again, but it’s not that easy. Especially if you are a professional in bottling up emotions like I am.

We eat our pancakes and I sit across from Vanessa, who sits on Henry’s lap, as he helps her rolling her pancakes. I take dozens of pictures, wanting to have physical evidence of this wonderful moment between them. They are surely getting attached to each other and I continued to think about what would happen if I broke up with Henry.

Would Vanessa still see him?

I forced myself to stop thinking about that, because it only made me sad. I mean, I already can’t imagine a life without Henry.

‘When can I open my presents?’ she asks.

‘When you finished your pancakes,’ I say. ‘After that, we’re going to get dressed go to Henry’s parents.’

‘We’re going to mrs. Marianne and mister Colin again?’ Vanessa claps her hands. ‘Are they going to give me gifts too?’

‘They are, sunshine,’ Henry says. ‘And there are going to be four other guests.’

‘Who?’ she asks, her eyes lighting up already.

‘My brothers.’

She smiles. ‘I like that. Are they going to give me presents?’

I try to hide a laugh, but I fail miserably. The most important things to Vanessa sure are quite something and totally relatable if I’m being honest. ‘They are, sweetheart,’ I say.

‘But, sunshine, I have to tell you something,’ Henry says. ‘If they do something you don’t like, you tell me, my parents or your mommy, okay? This is your birthday and I want you to be happy the entire time, okay?’

‘I can tell them myself,’ Vanessa says.

Henry smiles at her. ‘I know you can,’ he says. ‘But will you promise me that?’

She nods. ‘I promise, Superman.’ She presses her nose against his cheek and says: ‘You really are Superman.’

Henry films as Vanessa opens up all her presents and she is the happiest with the bike Henry and I bought her. It has bears on it and a flag on the back, also with a bear. She sits on it and says: ‘Now I really am a big girl.’

After unpacking the gifts, Vanessa and I go to the bathroom, where we get in the shower cabin and I help her with washing her hairs and getting all freshened up for the day. She keeps on babbling about how happy she is and excited that she is going to see mrs. Marianne and mister Colin again. I wrap her up in a towel after I done that for myself and since I can still carry her, I lift her up in my arms as we walk to the bedroom. ‘You go warm up in my bed, as I get dressed,’ I tell her, handing her my phone so she can play a game on it.

I decide to wear a black casual dress today, since I know that Vanessa always loves it when I wear dresses on her birthday. I slip on the Doctor Martens, tie them up and walk over to the big mirror that I have on the closet. I grab some hair products and comb my fingers through my hair.

Henry enters the bedroom and smiles when he looks at me. ‘Birthday girl,’ he says to Vanessa. ‘Did you tell your mom to wear this dress?’ He runs a hand through his slight out of control curls.

Vanessa nods. ‘Mommy has to wear dresses on my birthday, because I like that.’

He gives her a thumbs up, causing me to roll my eyes. ‘Did you pick this one out?’

She nods again. ‘And when I grow up, I want to wear that dress.’

‘You have excellent taste, sunshine.’ He walks over to me, gives me a kiss and says that he is going to take a shower now.

‘Henry, you have to wear something colorful,’ Vanessa says, before he can walk out of the room.

Henry leans against the wall and asks: ‘Like what?’

‘A pink shirt.’

He cocks an eyebrow. ‘I have to check my wardrobe to see if I have a pink shirt. How about before we go to my parents, we stop by at my house?’

‘Can I pick something out?’ she says, her face lighting up already. ‘Pretty please?’

I already know that he us unable to say no to Vanessa. ‘Of course you can.’ He chuckles and looks at me again. ‘You look really beautiful, love,’ he says to me.

‘Thank you.’ I don’t want to blush, but I feel my face heat up.

Henry sends me a wink, before he walks out of the room. After I’m done with my make-up and hair, I turn around and ask Vanessa: ‘You want to wear that pink dress with the bears on it, sweetheart?’

≫≫≪≪

‘Mommy, why is Henry nervous?’ Vanessa asks. We just stopped by Henry’s place, hoping to find something pink, but we came to the conclusion that he doesn’t have anything pink. After going through his closet at least three times, she found a baby blue sweater instead and it looks beautiful on him. It hugs his tight arms and I have my hand wrapped around the bulk of muscles.

We are on our way to his parents house, but he keeps drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and he hums. Now, he usually hums when we’re not really talking in the car, usually in a light tone, causing Vanessa to recognize the song, but today it’s in a nervous tone.

‘Because he is scared that his brothers will embarrass him.’

‘Why?’ Vanessa asks.

I turn around in my seat and say: ‘Because siblings tend to embarrass each other and Henry knows that when we are there to meet them, they will say and do stuff, hoping to get a sort of a reaction out of him.’

‘Isn’t that bullying?’

I shake my head. ‘No, because they are siblings, it’s more like teasing. Like when you want a cookie and I hold the jar over your head…. It’s not necessarily bullying, but I’m teasing you a bit, right?’

She nods. ‘But if Henry doesn’t like it, he should say it to his mother.’

_Vanessa is adorable._

‘And otherwise he should tell me. I can tell his brothers they shouldn’t be mean to him. I mean, Henry told me that I should tell him if they do something I don’t like, right?’

‘Very good, sunshine,’ he says with an adoring smile as he looks in his rearview mirror.

We get out of the car, Vanessa holding her Kal’s leash in her hand as she frisks towards the already open front door. ‘Mrs. Marianne!’ she yells, Kal following her close by. For a second I’m afraid Vanessa is going to jump in her arms, but she doesn’t— _thankfully_ —and wraps her arms around her waist. ‘It’s my birthday today.’

‘I know, doll,’ Marianne says. ‘And happy birthday to you. I bought a nice birthday cake for you.’

‘For me?’ Vanessa looks over her shoulder and holds my hand. ‘Mommy, mrs. Marianne bought a birthday cake for me.’

‘No way,’ I say, ‘that is so thoughtful of her.’

Marianne pulls me in a hug. ‘She looks so beautiful,’ she whispers, ‘as do you.’

‘Thank you.’

After she hugged her son too, we all walk into the house and the fact that Vanessa completely ignores the four insanely tall Cavill men, to go and hug mr. Colin, says something about their bond. ‘I missed you,’ she says.

‘I missed the birthday girl too,’ he laughs and from the looks of it, he begins to tell her the newest jokes he looked up, because she bursts into a fit of giggles after a few seconds already.

‘Olivia, these are my brothers,’ Henry says, placing a hand on the small of my back. I don’t know if he does that because he feels like he needs to support me or the other way around. ‘Simon, Charlie, Niki and Piers.’

I am amazed by the Cavill genetics. ‘Wow,’ is the first thing that leaves my lips and I nearly want to throw myself out of a window. ‘I’m sorry, that was creepy.’

All of his brothers start to laugh and I shake their hands to introduce myself, with my cheeks in a full on blush. ‘Nice to meet you, guys.’

‘No, no, no, it’s nice to meet you, Olivia,’ Piers says.

Niki nods. ‘We couldn’t wait to meet the woman that has our Henry all blushy and giggly.’

‘And just wondering, but why him?’ Charlie says. ‘I mean, sure, he is handsome, but have you seen the rest of us?’

Simon holds back a laugh and says: ‘Guys, look at that clenched fist. This man is about to throw in some punches.’

I look up and see not only his fist is clenched, but also his jaw. He is really working himself up and I nearly feel sorry for him. To cut Henry some slack, I say to Vanessa: ‘Sweetheart, come over and meet Henry’s brothers.’

She walks over and stands in front of me and I watch as all of his brothers crouch down, so they don’t seem that intimidating to my daughter.

I already love them.

Vanessa looks up, ignoring them a bit and asks: ‘Have they been mean to Henry already?’

‘No, sunshine, they haven’t,’ Henry says with a smile on his face.

‘So, I can be nice to them?’

I can see the looks on his brothers faces, already melting at the sight of my daughter being quite protective over my boyfriend. ‘Yes, sweetheart, you can be nice to them.’

Vanessa looks at Piers and holds out her hand. ‘My name is Vanessa Tran,’ she says.

‘Nice to meet you, Vanessa and happy birthday.’

She smiles. ‘I’m seven now.’

‘So I heard.’

All of Henry’s brothers seem to be impressed with Vanessa and when she reaches Charlie, he jokingly asks: ‘What does your mom see in Henry anyways? Do you know?’

Vanessa rolls her eyes like the sassy little thing she is. ‘Because he is Superman, of course.’

‘Yeah, I can’t compete with that,’ Charlie admits.

‘You want to see the gifts we bought you?’ Simon suggests and she nods. She holds onto Charlie’s hand and I watch them go to the living room.

‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ I ask Henry.

‘No, it wasn’t.’ He lets out a big sigh and says: ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’

He smiles and holds my hand, as we go to the living room as well. Vanessa is sitting on Marianne’s lap, as she unwraps the other gifts. She is happy every single time, no matter what she gets. She asks whose gift it is, so she can hug the specific person as a thank you.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that Vanessa has wrapped the entire Cavill household around her finger.

While I watch them all interact with my daughter, I can’t help but notice the light in Vanessa’s eyes. I know she accepted that she didn’t have a large family and she told me that she was happy that she had me, but I knew that deep down she wanted to have a dad, grandparents and aunts or uncles. I mean, sure, she has Belle and she loves Belle with all her heart, but this is different.

This is one whole family that fell in love with her and she knows it.

‘Mommy, look, a coloring book filled with bears,’ she chuckles, as she walks over to me.

I pull her on my lap and wrap my arm around her waist. ‘So pretty,’ I say to her. ‘Did you say thank you?’

She nods. ‘I’m really happy.’

‘I know you are.’

‘Is this our new family?’ she asks, loud enough for the others to hear her. ‘Because I like them a lot.’

Don’t you dare start crying now, Olivia Tran. I look over at Henry, who sits next to me on a chair. He slides his arm from the back of the chair on my shoulders, giving me a little bit of comfort. ‘You should ask them.’

She looks at the Cavill family and asks: ‘Are you my new family?’

They unanimously start to nod. ‘We are, doll,’ Marianne says, her voice cracking a bit.

Vanessa turns around in my lap, so she can look at Henry as well. She ushers him closer and asks him: ‘Do they mean it?’

‘They do, sunshine.’ He places his hand on her leg and says: ‘We are all very happy that both you and your mom are part of our family now.’

‘I loved all the presents I got,’ she says, ‘but having a family is the best present I could ask for. Who do I say thank you to for that, mommy?’

I’m unable to answer something, as all sorts of things run through my mind. Have I finally given her everything I simply can? Is the life that I wanted for my daughter, finally happening? I simply press a kiss on her cheek and hear Henry say: ‘You should thank your mom for that.’

Vanessa tilts her head. ‘Why?’

‘Because your mom allowed me in your life,’ he says, ‘and because of that you not only got me, but also got the rest of them.’

Vanessa looks at me and says: ‘Thank you, mommy. For finding the best family for me.’

≫≫≪≪

The entire day I hold my tears back, but when I watch the Cavill men, including Kal run around in the backyard, throwing around a ball with Vanessa, I can’t help but let out a shaky breath.

This is all I ever wanted for my little girl. I wanted her to have a big loving family and now on her seventh birthday, she has that.

After she thanked me for finding the best family for her, I could barely look at someone else anymore. Henry knew something was up, but he couldn’t get it out of me.

I sit on the porch with Marianne. ‘I’m just going to say it once again,’ Marianne says. ‘You have raised an extraordinary girl and the both of you made my son a very happy man.’

I chuckle, as I watch Henry picking up Vanessa and as an answer, she pushes her nose against his cheek, before she bursts out in giggles. ‘Well, he makes me very happy too,’ I say.

Marianne places a hand on my knee and says: ‘From one mother to another, it’s always hard when you think you’re not giving your kids what they deserve, but you are doing an excellent job.’

I blink away some tears. ‘It’s just that… I always feel so guilty when I think about Vanessa and how desperately she wants to have a family, and I’m not able to give her that, but… I never knew how much _I_ missed having a family around me, who cares about me like you all do. I think I forgot how it felt to be welcomed like I am here.’

Marianne nods. ‘Always remember: you don’t have to do it alone anymore. You are welcome here in our entire family and we would love to help you out.’

‘Thank you.’

‘They might make fun of Henry,’ she continues, ‘but his brothers know how happy he is with you. Piers just told me that he never seen Henry like this. Charlie said that you are by far the greatest woman he has ever met and both Simon and Niki are impressed by the way you raised your daughter. You two are truly to best that could ever happen to Henry, but also to us.’

I clear my throat and I stare at Henry, who holds Vanessa above his head, so she can throw the ball through the hoop. ‘Excuse me,’ I say, as I stand up and walk inside the house. I don’t know where I end, but somewhere where people can’t see me from outside.

I bury my face in my hands, as I let out a small sob, followed by many more. I shouldn’t be sad, I should be grateful. I am welcomed in a family with both arms wide open. But it all hits extra hard today. My little girl turned seven today. My boyfriend brought me to his family. Vanessa thanked me for finding her a new family.

‘Is everything alright, love?’ I hear Henry ask me.

I look up, wiping my tears away, but I can’t stop crying. Henry walks over to me and pulls me in a tight and safe hug. ‘It’s nothing,’ I whisper.

‘Don’t,’ he says. ‘Don’t do that. You can tell me what’s wrong.’

‘I’m just a bit emotional, that’s all,’ I say.

Henry gives me a kiss on my forehead and says: ‘Come with me for a second.’ He holds onto my hand, as I follow him through the house. We walk into a bedroom that is obviously his old one and I can’t help but smile, seeing the light blue walls and how neatly it’s all cleaned. We plop on his bed and he pulls me on his lap. ‘Tell me what is going on inside your head, sweetheart.’

‘I think it’s a combination,’ I whisper, looking at my hands. ‘First Vanessa turns seven, then not only does she gain a whole family, but I do too. Every year on her birthday, I kind of wish that we get a card from my family, or a text, you know. Now your brothers bought a lot of Vanessa’s birthday wish list, without ever meeting her.’

Henry pulls me closer to his body. ‘You deserve it,’ he says. ‘Both you and Vanessa. My family loves you, Olivia. Niki and Charlie are already trying to persuade me into bringing you two to our Christmas dinner. I actually think they love you two more than they love me.’

I chuckle, as I roll my eyes.

‘And I have to thank you too,’ he says. ‘Vanessa thanked you for finding her a family, but I have to thank you for allowing me in your own little family. You made me the happiest man on earth.’

I look at him again, wrap my arms around his neck and press a kiss on his cheek. ‘God, I love you like crazy,’ I whisper to him.

‘I love you too.’ His fingers play with the hem of my dress, before he slides his hand underneath the thin fabric. ‘You have to go to work tomorrow?’

‘I don’t actually,’ I say with a smile. I raise an eyebrow. ‘Why?’

‘It’s good to know when I can show you how much I love you.’ He buries his face in the crook of my neck and presses a wet kiss on the sensitive skin. ‘Maybe we should head back again,’ he says, even though we both want something else. It was thrilling to have sex under your parents roof when you were sixteen, but it’s not so cute and daring anymore once you’re nearing thirty and you have a kid.

We walk back downstairs and when we are back in the living room again, Vanessa rushes towards us. ‘Mommy, why are your eyes red? Did you cry?’

 _Great job, sweetheart, if you can repeat that once again, only louder this time, maybe the neighbors can hear it too_. All the Cavills look at me and I clear my throat, feeling a bit self conscious now. ‘I was a little, but they were happy tears.’

Vanessa nods. ‘Henry, do you cry happy tears?’

He lifts her up when she is close enough and says: ‘Sometimes.’

‘When was the last time?’

‘A while ago,’ he says. ‘It was when you gave me that drawing,’ he says. ‘I cried a little bit when I was alone at my place again, because I finally knew for sure that you liked me.’

She chuckles. ‘Silly Henry, I don’t just like you. I love you a lot.’

There is an audible gasp in the living room and I know that I was part of that gasp, but from the looks of it, Marianne took part in it as well. Henry is at a loss for words, but his eyes do fill up with tears.

‘Are those happy tears?’ she asks him, tilting her head.

‘They certainly are, sunshine,’ Henry says, as he wraps an arm around my shoulders too. ‘And you know what’s such a coincidence? I love you a lot too.’ He presses his nose against her cheek. She holds his face in her tiny hands and rubs her nose against his, a little eskimo kiss. ‘I’m never letting you or your mom go,’ he says to her.

Vanessa chuckles. ‘Well, I wasn’t going to let you go,’ she tells him. ‘Because you make my mommy happy and when she’s happy, I am too.’


	10. Chapter 10

A little more than a month has passed since Vanessa’s birthday. Henry isn’t even thinking about eventual acting jobs again. The only thing he that is on his mind, is spending his time with Olivia and Vanessa. Since Vanessa is in school and Olivia has to work, he spends his time in the gym, in the stores, reading a bit and cuddling up with Kal. People might’ve think it would be boring, but he is actually enjoying his time like this. For someone who thought acting would be everything in life, he sure doesn’t miss it at all.

Olivia is home earlier from her work, because he is straddled when he hears the front door shut. He is standing in her kitchen, trying out a new recipe. ‘Is that my apron?’ she asks him when she walks into the kitchen. She leans against the doorway and Kal whimpers, almost as he answers for his owner, causing her to chuckle. ‘Looking good, Cavill. Pink roses are definitely your go to pattern.’

He smiles, seeing the beautiful woman also smiling at him. ‘You’re home early,’ he says, walking up to her, to scoop her off her feet.

She lets out a squeal and says: ‘There were too many people in the clinic so I happily volunteered to go home.’ Olivia wraps her arms around his neck. ‘I sure missed you a lot.’

‘I missed you too, love.’

He places her gently on the table in the kitchen, gives her a kiss before he goes back to the counter. He lets her talk about her day, because it’s one of his favorite things to listen to. After she told him about the multiple anal glands, shots she had to give and the broken paws, she clears her throat. ‘I think you and I need to talk,’ Olivia says and he nearly cuts off his own finger.

‘What?’ he asks, turning around, panic rushing through his veins. What does she want to talk about? She sounds so serious. Is she not happy with him anymore? They are going too fast as a couple, that must be it. He doesn’t have any issues with that, but maybe she does. He should’ve stepped back a few times. God, this is such a—

‘But please take off that apron, I can’t take you seriously like that,’ she chuckles and now Henry is really confused. This can’t be a break up right? He does take off the apron and wipes his palms dry on his jeans. ‘We need to talk about your job,’ she says.

Henry is visibly relieved. ‘Oh thank God.’

She frowns. ‘What did you think we needed to talk about?’

‘I thought you wanted to break up or wanted to take at least a break.’

Olivia shakes her head, while she chuckles. ‘Oh honey,’ she says, holding out her hand. He hesitantly takes it and she pulls him to stand between her legs. ‘I’m sorry I scared you, but I can guarantee that I don’t want either of those things.’ She gives him a kiss and he relaxes against her body.

‘But why do you want to talk about my job?’

‘Because I just need to be sure that Vanessa and I aren’t holding you back. When I met you, you were actor Henry Cavill, but you seem to make zero efforts to continue in that line of work. I discussed it with your dad the other day and he said that he barely heard you about job offers anymore. I was just wondering if you don’t get job offers or if you don’t accept them because of us.’

Henry lets out a sigh. Though he doesn’t want to have this conversation with her, he does appreciate that she brings it up. She is not afraid to bring up conversation pieces that he has been trying to avoid and that quality alone shows she is an excellent mother and a partner. ‘I’m just taking a break.’

‘Why?’ she asks. ‘You have been taking one for more than a year now. You love acting, don’t you?’

‘I do,’ he says, ‘but… I’m scared I guess.’

‘Why?’ she asks. Her fingers are toying with the hem of his sweater, before she slips her hand underneath the sweater to touch his skin. He loves it when she innocently touches him like that. ‘Please, Henry, I’m only trying to understand you a bit better. That’s all. I’m not blaming you, trying to make you feel stupid or guilty, please don’t let your mind wander to those kinds of things.’

And without him even knowing it, he was doing exactly that. Those mother instincts sure do work. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispers.

She shakes her head. ‘Wait,’ she says. She jumps off the table, turns off the stove, pushes everything to the back of the counter so Kal can’t secretly eat stuff and pulls him with her to the living room. She lays down on the couch, spreads her arms and says: ‘Come here.’

Henry can’t help but chuckle a little bit, thinking back to the time she was stressed out because of an operation that was very demanding and life threatening if she did something wrong. He simply laid down on the couch, spread his arms and held her.

He sits on the couch, before he lays down between her legs, placing his head on her soft chest. She wraps her arms tightly around him and he lets out a content sigh, feeling stress slowly leaving his body already. ‘Talk to me, Henry,’ she whispers. ‘Please.’

His hands pushes up her thick shirt and he touches her waist. Feeling her skin against his palms, helps him relax even more. ‘I’m scared of making another movie again,’ he admits. ‘What if that is a fail again?’

‘But would it be that bad?’ she asks. ‘Don’t you learn from failures?’

‘You do, but I don’t like making mistakes.’

‘My little perfectionist,’ Olivia whispers, pressing a kiss on top of his head. ‘Listen, it’s not that I don’t like you here. I love it when you are around and Vanessa thinks it’s great when you pick her up from school when I can’t. I mean, we don’t want you gone, don’t think like that, but I don’t want you to regret in a few years that you didn’t take a certain job.’

Henry places his chin on her chest, so he can look at the love of his life. ‘I won’t regret it. I like being here with you and Vanessa. It’s just that I need to feel in the right headspace again to think about starring in movies again and right now I only feel shame.’

‘Why? The movie wasn’t that bad,’ Olivia says and he cocks an eyebrow. ‘Okay, okay, the movie pretty bad, but… Lots of actors and actresses play in bad movies and that isn’t necessarily the end of their career, is it now?’

Henry sighs deeply. ‘I know, sweetheart.’

‘Look, again, I’m not forcing you out of my house. On the contrary, I want to force you to stay here and never leave, but please, for me, think about your choices, okay?’

‘Of course, my love. Thank you for bringing this up and I must admit: I really like laying down like this,’ he admits. He once found Vanessa and Olivia on the couch like this and it made his heart flutter. ‘I understand why Vanessa likes to be here.’

‘Shut up,’ she chuckles. ‘I can push you off, you know.’

‘But you won’t do that.’ He pushes himself up a bit, so he has better access to her neck. He presses open kisses against her skin and he feels her fingers run through his hair. ‘Thank you for looking out for me.’

‘You do the same for me,’ she says. She wraps her legs around his hips. ‘God, I love you like crazy, you know that?’

‘I love you too, love. How much time do we have left before we have to pick up Vanessa?’

She looks at the clock behind him and whispers: ‘Four hours.’

‘What can we do in four hours?’ he asks. ‘Multiple times?’

Olivia shrugs. ‘Finish that recipe that you were trying out?’

‘Minx.’

≫≫≪≪

The three of them (Kal is staying at home, since he isn’t allowed on the Christmas market) walk through the Christmas trees. Olivia told him that for years they only had a tiny tree, since she couldn’t afford a bigger tree and more decoration. Since she works shorter shifts, lives in a house, she has save money on certain fun activities, like buying a Christmas tree. To make sure this Christmas is unforgettable, he wants Vanesa and Olivia to pick out the tree they want.

‘Mommy,’ Vanessa says, ‘can we really pick out any tree we want?’

Olivia nods. ‘Just one, though, we’re not going to have a house filled with trees, okay?’

The little girl nods and she rushes through the trees, checking them all out.

Henry wraps his fingers around Olivia’s, as he stretches out his neck to see where Vanessa is. Before Olivia can say something, he raises his voice and says: ‘Vanessa, sunshine, stay close now.’

He feels Olivia looking up at him and he hears her laugh.

‘What?’ he asks, frowning a bit as Vanessa waves at them, a sign that she did hear him.

‘That was such a dad move,’ Olivia says. ‘You are actually such a dad, you know that?’

He doesn’t know what to say. This is the first time she mentioned that to him, though he has made some pretty dad like moves the past few weeks, ever since Vanessa told him that she loved him a lot.

She has been trying to push his boundaries a few times, but she knew when she needed to back off most of the time. He figured it was only normal, but the first time she pushed the buttons, he didn’t know what to do. Thankfully Olivia was there to tell Vanessa that stuff like that isn’t funny or nice, causing the young girl to listen.

But he had to be tough with her a few times. Telling her not to jump on top of him, knees first right in his stomach and she started to pout. Having to tell her that she can’t watch tv now, because they were going to eat and she kept sitting on the couch, sitting on top of the remote control. Helping her through a breakdown when she had a little bit of homework, since Olivia had to prepare a surgery.

Olivia would stand in the doorway, arms crossed in front of her chest and would watch the little debacle, not interfering, unless she thought it was necessary. Almost like she was evaluating him and he actually understood. If he was going to be a important part of their lives, become the dad figure he so desperately wants to be, he needs to show both of them that he is serious.

The other day, Vanessa kept screaming in the car and he said something to her about how she shouldn’t do that. ‘Why would I listen to you?’ she asked him, looking in the rearview mirror at him with a daring look on her face. He had never heard her speak like that, but then he realized: Olivia and her know each other like the back of their hands and only one look of Olivia, would make Vanessa listen immediately.

But Henry is new, he hasn’t been there since the beginnings. Of course Vanessa was the sweetest young girl when he met her, but now he is becoming a more frequent and stable part of their lives, she needs to push the limits a bit.

‘Because it’s my car and your screams make my eardrums tear,’ he retorted.

‘I don’t like you,’ she told him and that broke his heart.

‘Vanessa,’ Olivia said, without even looking over her shoulder. ‘Why don’t you like him?’

‘Because he is being mean,’ Vanessa said, crossing his arms.

He could see Olivia looking to the side at him and maybe the heartbreak was written all over his face. ‘Tell me exactly why you think he is being mean to you.’ Henry didn’t understand what she was going for, because did he want to hear the list of things that Vanessa maybe was going to make?

Vanessa opened her mouth and said: ‘Because he doesn’t let me scream.’

‘Do I ever let you scream?’

‘No.’

‘You think I’m mean then?’

The little girl sighed. ‘No.’

‘Why is Henry mean and I’m not when we say the exact same thing?’

Now Vanessa didn’t know what she had to say, so she didn’t say anything at all. Olivia let it slide, knowing well enough that she had made Vanessa think about her behavior. When the two of them got out of the car, she said to him that he should help the little girl out of the carseat.

Henry was scared, honest to God scared. He didn’t want to ruin their relationship, but certainly not force her into liking him. He opened the door, because he felt like being scared was not the thing he should do. He should get over it.

Vanessa looked up and when he unbuckled her seatbelt, she placed her hand on his arm. ‘I’m sorry, Henry,’ she said. ‘I should’ve listened to you.’

‘It’s okay, sunshine,’ he said.

‘Are you still mad at me?’

He frowned. ‘I wasn’t mad at you.’

‘What then?’

‘A little disappointed, that’s all.’

Vanessa sighed and pouted. He spotted tears in her eyes and that broke his heart even more. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why I did it.’

‘It’s all okay,’ he told her. ‘I’m not mad and not disappointed anymore.’

‘You won’t leave?’

That was her biggest fear—him leaving. Maybe that’s why she was testing out the waters with her behavior. Maybe she was figuring out what she could do for him to leave and never come back. But that wasn’t Henry. He knew he was in it for the long run. ‘If I would leave because of this, I would be a big idiot, wouldn’t I be?’

Vanessa nodded. ‘Yeah, you would.’

He helped her out of the car, but she hugged his leg tightly and Olivia, who had witnessed it all, chuckled and mouthed: ‘See?’

The role of a dad, wasn’t something he feared, but sometimes he felt stress building up inside of him. Was he doing it right? What would Olivia think about how he handled it?

‘I’m a dad?’ Henry asks Olivia, as Vanessa is ushering them over, because she found the perfect tree.

‘You are,’ she says. ‘I mean, you are still figuring it all out and I totally understand, but remember: you’ll never do it perfectly. Parenting is something terrifying, but you’ve been holding up well.’

‘It will get worse?’ he says.

‘Well,’ Olivia chuckles, ‘Vanessa has yet to become a teenager and I can tell you that I was a pretty tough teen to handle. Maybe she is too, I don’t know, but they say the teen years are hard.’

Henry squeezes her hand. ‘Well, as long as I’m with you, I’m ready for it.’

‘Mommy, I like this one,’ Vanessa says and Olivia goes to stand behind her daughter, placing her hands on the tiny shoulders of Vanessa, as they look at the tree.

It’s moments like these where the two of them look so much alike and he still can’t believe that the idiot Wesley left her, before Vanessa was born. It might’ve been for the best, but Henry can’t seem to wrap his mind around the fact that that breathing moron walked away from the two greatest ladies in the world.

‘Why do you like this one?’ Olivia asks.

‘Because that branch looks heart shaped.’

Olivia looks over her shoulder. ‘Now I think that is a legit enough reason, but since Henry is going to pay for it, he needs to agree to it.’

Vanessa looks up, a hopeful look on her face and she folds her hands together. ‘Henry, please, can we have this tree?’

He pretends to think hard about it. ‘I don’t know,’ he says.

‘Please,’ Vanessa begs. ‘I really want this tree. It has a heart shaped branch.’

He lets out a chuckle, not wanting to put her in fear of not buying this tree any longer. ‘I think it’s perfect for us.’

Vanessa claps her hands. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’

When they are back at Olivia’s place, they set up the tree and he helps them decorate it. Vanessa sits on his shoulders, as she puts the pick on top. ‘What do you think, sunshine?’ he asks, stepping back, to admire the tree.

He feels her hands tugging his curls. ‘I love it,’ she says.

‘Well, we have to say thank you to Henry,’ Olivia says.

‘But I already said thank you for buying the tree, mommy.’

She nods. ‘I know you did, but did you thank him for buying the decorations?’

Vanessa audibly gasps. ‘Oh no, I didn’t.’

‘Well, hurry up then,’ Olivia jokingly says.

He lifts her off his shoulders, but lets her rest on his hip. ‘Thanks daddy, for buying the Christmas decorations.’

Henry freezes. Did she just call him daddy? She thinks of him as a dad? He looks over at Olivia, whose eyes have widened as well. ‘What did you say?’ he asks her.

Vanessa curls in her lips. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says. ‘You’re not my daddy. Thanks _Henry._ ’ She wiggles herself out of his arms and mumbles something along the lines of going to her room.

‘Did she just…?’ he asks Olivia.

She simply nods. ‘Vanessa, baby, wait up.’ She rushes past him, up the stairs following Vanessa.

Okay, he needs to think about this. He wants to be her dad. That drawing she made for him, still hangs in his living room. He spends so much time with both Olivia and Vanessa… He is part of their little family, just like they are part of his. He sees Olivia as the mother of eventual future children and Vanessa as the big sister of them.

Then why is he still here and not upstairs comforting her?

He walks up the stairs and hears little sniffles coming from Vanessa’s room. ‘I’m so sorry, mommy,’ he hears Vanessa cry.

‘Don’t be.’

‘Is he mad at me?’

‘Why? Because you called him daddy?’

He doesn’t hear Vanessa say anything, but he figures she is nodding.

‘No, he was just surprised, baby.’

‘I don’t want him to leave, because I said that.’

He opens the door and says: ‘Vanessa, sunshine, I’m not leaving. Your mom is right, I was just a little surprised.’ Henry walks over to the bed, where Vanessa is sitting on Olivia’s lap, tears running over her red cheeks.

‘Why were you surprised?’ Olivia asks for her daughter and maybe a bit for herself.

‘Because I didn’t expect you to call me daddy. I… I figured you would always call me Superman or Henry.’ Henry places his hand on Vanessa’s back and he feels she is trembling and that makes him feel even worse than he was already. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says to her.

‘Why are you apologizing?’ Vanessa asks.

‘Because I made you sad,’ he says. ‘Listen: I love you a lot, Vanessa and I’m not leaving because of this. I would be a big idiot if I did that.’

She nods in agreement. ‘But do you want to be my dad?’ she asks. ‘I always wanted one.’

‘I would love to be your dad,’ Henry tells her. ‘I would be honored.’

‘See?’ Olivia says with a smile, kissing Vanessa.

The little girl takes a deep breath. ‘Really?’

‘Really, sweetheart.’ He wraps his arms around the two of them and he gives them both a kiss on top of their heads. ‘How about I make some hot chocolate for us?’ he suggests. ‘To celebrate this?’

Olivia chuckles and Vanessa starts to nod. ‘I would love that,’ Vanessa says and she has a telling smile on her face. ‘I love you, daddy,’ she whispers.

‘I love you too, sunshine,’ he tells her.

She rubs her nose against his and asks: ‘You like having me as a daughter?’

He blinks faster with his eyes, but a tear does escape. ‘I love having as my daughter.’

She wipes away his tear and says: ‘Good, because I like being your daughter.’

≫≫≪≪

 **Henry:** Mom, I have great news!

 **Mom:** Olivia is pregnant?

 **Henry:** NO! Olivia is not pregnant!

 **Mom:** Would’ve been great news though, another grandchild into our family.

 **Mom:** Your father and I are not getting any younger.

 **Henry:** I see what you are doing there. You can’t guilt trip me in knocking Olivia up. Where are your manners?

 **Mom:** Well, if that wasn’t the great news, what is it then?

 **Henry:** Vanessa wants me as her dad

 **Mom:** That is wonderful news too, honey! Oh, I’m so happy for you!!

 **Mom:** So, when are you going to make it official?

 **Henry:** Make what official?

 **Mom:** As in officially making her your daughter. As in adopting her?


	11. Chapter 11

Marianne took Vanessa out shopping today for the Christmas dinner tomorrow at the Cavill residence and originally I had the plan to clean up the house a bit, pretending like I’m an okay housewife, but Henry obviously had other plans.

And trust me, I’m not complaining about the change of plans.

With lightening speed he had undressed not only me, but the both of us, pushed me on the bed and wrapped his arms around my legs, as he pressed my hips deeply into the mattress. He has been kissing my inner thighs for a while now and I tug his hair, hoping for him to stop teasing me. Henry looks up as he lets his tongue slide between my folds.

‘What has gotten into you, Cavill?’ I ask him with a chuckle, as I shiver in pleasure underneath him.

For a few seconds he ignores me, as he moans against my wet entrance, before he looks up again, this time with a sly smile on his face. His chin, lips and tiny mustache are glistering with my juices and I never thought that would turn me on even more. ‘It’s your own fault really,’ he says to me. ‘You look so fucking hot.’ He dives back in, his tongue flicking around the sensitive nub.

‘I hate you,’ I whine out.

‘Sure you do,’ he chuckles and the vibrations make me nearly scream out of pleasure. ‘That’s my girl, let me know how I make you feel.’

I feel the familiar feeling coil up in my abdomen, but like the little fucker Henry is, he pushes himself up and lays down next to me. ‘I really hate you,’ I groan out, feeling the orgasm slowly subdue.

He chuckles and kisses me, as I taste myself on his lips. ‘Just teasing a bit never hurts,’ he shrugs, as he wets his fingers between my folds. He pushes one in, followed by another one shortly after. I moan against his lips, arching my back. He knows exactly what works for me and I secretly love him for knowing me so well. Not to compare (but I will do it anyways), but sex with Wesley was good, but generic. It was pretty much the same every single time and I could almost look at the clock, to know in how many minutes I would have an average orgasm.

With Henry that’s never the case, like ever. He takes me by surprise and it’s mindblowing each time.

His fingers roughly slip in and out of me and I bite my lip to prevent myself from screaming out of pleasure. On any normal day I would, because I know the neighbors aren’t home, but since it’s the day before Christmas, they are constantly home and the walls are pretty thin.

His thumb brushes against my swollen clit. ‘Don’t you dare tease me now,’ I tell him, as I feel the orgasm building up inside me again. ‘Please,’ I add in a more desperate tone.

Henry crashes his lips on mine and bites my bottom lip, earning him a soft moan. ‘You’re close now, aren’t you?’

‘I am.’ I push my thighs together, as the tingling feeling takes over. I let out a desperate cry. But unlike other times, I feel fluids gush passed his fingers, staining the sheets underneath me. He doesn’t stop, of course he doesn’t stop. This is Henry Cavill and he only stops when I use our safe word (that I never have to use before) or when he thinks it’s enough. The insides of my thighs are completely wet, just like the drenched sheets. He slowly pulls out his fingers as my body jolts with the aftershocks of the orgasm of a lifetime.

‘Holy shit,’ I choke out, before I let out a chuckle of disbelieve.

‘You can say that again. When I thought you couldn’t get any sexier, you do this.’ Henry’s lips fall on mine and he smiles underneath the kiss. ‘I’m such a lucky man,’ he says and I notice he is beaming with pride, while I should be the one after that lovely compliment he just gave me.

I push him on his back and straddle his hips. ‘You are,’ I say, cockiness dripping through every letter I say. His hands grab my ass, when I slowly guide his painfully hard cock near my entrance. I take him in, letting him stretch out my walls and he lets his head fall back in the pillow with a muffled moan. I dig my nails in his chest and he looks up at me again, with a beautiful smile that makes me fall in love with him even more.

‘You have a look on your face,’ I notice. ‘What’s going on inside your head?’

He shakes his head. ‘I don’t want to say,’ he chuckles. ‘Little secret of mine.’

‘Then I won’t continue,’ I say. ‘And I can handle being in this position for hours on end, but I highly doubt you can.’

He tsks, but the blush on his cheeks give away his real feelings and I can’t believe he gave himself away just like that. ‘I was just wondering something.’

‘Enlighten me.’

‘I was thinking about our future,’ he says, as his hands slowly force me to slightly grind on him. Since I have a feeling he’ll let me in on his thoughts, I let him.

‘Why would that be a secret of yours? If it’s our future, shouldn’t you tell me about it?’

He swallows hard, as the minimal friction is driving him crazy. ‘I was thinking about the day we found out you were pregnant.’

Now it’s my turn to blush. ‘You want me pregnant, mister Cavill?’ I ask him.

‘Not right now, but in our future,’ he quickly says. ‘Do you ever want to get pregnant again?’

‘With whose baby?’ I chuckle.

He rolls his eyes, before he lets out a laugh. ‘You’re cruel, Olivia.’

I lean forward with a chuckle, so I can kiss him properly. ‘Well, I only want to get pregnant again, if I know for sure you’re going to stay. I don’t want to put Belle through my moods again and i also don’t think I want to go through it again without a man by my side.’

‘Of course I’m going to stay,’ he scoffs. ‘I would be the lowest kind of man if I left. I want to expand _our_ little family with _you_ one day.’

I blink away some tears, because that is by far the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. ‘I would love that too.’

He turns us around, so I’m on my back and he slowly sets the pace, as his hand is cupping my face. ‘I love you so much, sweetheart,’ he whispers. ‘You have no idea.’

I buck my hips to meet his thrusts, as I wrap my arms around his neck, so I can feel his broad chest against mine. ‘I love you too, Henry. I want you to be my baby daddy.’

He laughs. ‘That’s not a title I ever thought I’d earn, but I’m here for it.’ He buries his face in my neck, slowly picking up the pace. I close my eyes and I let out a soft sob. ‘You okay, love?’

‘I’m good,’ I say. ‘You just make me feel really good, like usual.’

His thrusts become a lot harder and I clench around him, digging my nails in his muscled back. ‘I can feel you’re close again, sweetheart,’ he says.

I simply nod, as I’m thrown over the edge again, filling the room with strangled moans, before they are muffled as Henry kisses me. I ride out my high, but Henry is not stopping. I cry out, wanting to press my thighs against each other, but he large frame prevents me from doing so. ‘Almost there, sweetheart,’ he tells me with a smile.

His thrusts turn sloppy and I feel his thick cum spurt inside me. It makes me wonder: what if I got pregnant pretty soon? I wouldn’t even mind, because he told me (and I know deep down) that he will indeed stay. He is not going to go and put me through this alone.

Henry nearly suffocates me, as he lets his heavy frame almost collapse against mine. I can’t help but laugh. ‘You want me dead before you get me pregnant?’ I ask.

He chuckles. ‘Of course not,’ he says, before he gently pulls out and plops on his back next to me.

I curl up beside him and let myself engulf in Henry’s strong arms. ‘How soon do you want to _expand_ our family?’ I ask him.

‘Whenever you are ready,’ he says.

‘I feel like you and I should wait a bit longer,’ I say, ‘however, if it happens sooner, rather than later, it simply happens and we can handle that too, can’t we?’

‘We sure can, love,’ he says, pulling me closer so he can kiss me. ‘And… I can’t believe that I met you, that we are talking about this kind of stuff and that this is my life right now.’

≫≫≪≪

The next day the entire Cavill family is happy to see us. On the first Christmas day, Vanessa and I are spending our time here here. Tomorrow we are going to Belle and her parents over in Liverpool, since they have a big party and Belle is terrified of facing them alone, because she still doesn’t have a boyfriend.

Maybe I should try and see what Cavill boy I can help her out with. I mean, she might be single and desperate, but these guys are on another level, if I’m being honest.

Despite that, there is still one thing I can’t stop thinking about and that is how Henry and I have talked about expanding our family. That feels like such a grown up thing to do and since I’m going to turn thirty next year, I shouldn’t be that afraid right? I mean, I have a daughter already, that’s pretty grown up.

I take a sip of my hot chocolate, as I watch Henry, Simon and Niki helping Vanessa with roasting marshmallows in the fireplace. Kal has his head placed on Henry’s shoulder and that sight alone makes me realize that I have found the perfect guy with the perfect dog, just like the drawings of Vanessa predicted.

Marianne, Piers and Colin are finalizing something in the kitchen, but they forced me out of there, because I should relax and enjoy my time here.

‘It fits him right?’ Charlie asks, as he stands next to me and I look up.

‘What do you mean?’ I ask.

‘The dad role.’

I chuckle. ‘It sure does.’

‘Out of all of us, it bothered him the most, that he was single and didn’t have a family yet,’ Charlie continues. ‘Before we met you, he sat down with us individually, but also together in front of mom and dad, to talk to us about how we should behave. At first we thought he was joking, but that man was dead serious.’ He can’t help but laugh at the memory. ‘Kept saying to us that we can’t embarrass him too much and that he doesn’t want certain jokes around the two of you, because he was afraid it might scare you away.’

I nod, before I burst out in laughter. ‘Well, I know that I could’ve handled it, growing up with two brothers and always have their annoying friends over, but… Vanessa is a serious kid, she might’ve been scared away indeed.’

‘He is really fond of you,’ Charlie continues. ‘And we are too.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Also, he looks at you in a way, that is both romantic and disgusting.’

‘Means he loves me a lot,’ I say with a chuckle. ‘Listen, Charlie, I… Thank you, not only to you, but for everyone, because they have been so welcoming. It truly means a lot to be part of a family again.’

Charlie chuckles, his cheeks burning up slightly. ‘It’s great having you here and we hope you never leave again, because I think my dad would also leave this family and exchange us for you and Vanessa in a heartbeat and I don’t think I would survive that.’

‘Mommy,’ Vanessa says, as she walks over to me, ‘would you like a marshmallow?’

‘But you fed me four, honey,’ I say with a pout. ‘Have you given uncle Charlie any?’

Her eyes widen and she says: ‘No…’

‘That’s okay, little princess,’ Charlie says, crouching down in front of her.

‘You want this one?’ she asks.

He nods and she feeds him the marshmallow, giggling as the corners of his mouth are covered in sticky marshmallow.

‘You should clean up,’ she deadpans.

‘Well, you should help me, because because of you I look like this.’ He throws her over her shoulder and she screams out, before she starts laughing.

I walk up to the fireplace and scratch Kal—who only has one more kilo to go, before he is sixty kilos and he looks so much better now—behind his ear. ‘How much have you guys been feeding her?’ I jokingly ask.

‘Not much,’ Simon says. ‘Niki here ate everything.’

‘Well, now I feel like I’m throwing up, instead of Vanessa, so I feel like I took one for the team. Be a little more grateful.’

I crouch down next to Henry and Kal. ‘Is she being a bit nice or…?’’

‘She’s being an angel,’ Henry says with a smile, ‘as usual.’

‘You have raised an amazing young girl,’ Simon interferes. ‘I can’t believe she is real from time to time. I feel like we were monsters when we were her age.’

I blush. ‘Thank you, that’s very sweet.’

Marianne orders us to go to the dinner table and Simon and Niki quickly grab the marshmallow left overs and go to the kitchen. Henry pulls me up and presses a long kiss on my lips. ‘I love you, sweetheart,’ he says, ‘and I’m glad that you get to spend Christmas with us.’

‘I’m glad too,’ I say. ‘Thank you for having such a great family.’

He has a knowing look on his face and I know exactly what he is thinking, because like me, it’s the only thing on his mind.

‘We’ll talk about that later, mister Cavill,’ I whisper.

‘I’ll hold you to that.’ He grabs my hand and we walk to the dinner table.

‘Mommy, I’m going to sit with mister Colin, do you mind?’ Vanessa asks.

‘Sweetheart, I don’t mind. You can sit next to anyone you want to here.’

I take place next to Marianne, who sits at the head of the table. Henry takes places next to me and Marianne clears her throat, as she wants to say something first. ‘So, before we start to eat… Simon, where are your manners? Don’t touch the food.’

‘Mister Colin,’ Vanessa attempts to whisper, but fails miserably, ‘you shouldn’t touch your food either.’

I try to suppress a chuckle, but I can’t seem to exactly do that.

‘What I was going to say is that I want to thank Henry for overfeeding his poor dog and having the guts to ask Olivia out on a date. You have truly brought not one ray of sunshine in our home, but two and we, as an entire family, are so thankful that you did that.’

Henry’s hand find mine under the table and he says: ‘Thanks mom.’

‘And Olivia and Vanessa: we are truly grateful that you two are part of the Cavill household. It lacked females and now we are slowly catching up, very good. So, that’s all I wanted to say: thank you for being here.’

I hold her hand and say: ‘You sure have welcomed both Vanessa and me with open arms.’

‘You have, mrs. Marianne.’ Vanessa chuckles and Marianne practically orders us to eat it all, because she worked hard on it.

I can hear the conversations being picked up, but Marianne gets my attention and says: ‘Henry told me about how Vanessa calls him dad nowadays.’

I nod with a smile. ‘Yeah, she is a little hesitant to do it when other people are there, because she is afraid that they might correct her, but at home she does it all the time.’

‘I’m so happy for you.’ She looks at her son with a knowing look, one that I do not understand and says: ‘You did well, my dear.’

Henry chuckles. ‘I certainly did.’

We continue to talk about all sorts of things: the clinic, the story of how I met Henry (though they already know it, they just really like the part: “Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat”) and I listen to his brothers talking about work. I look to the side, to Henry, as he listens to Vanessa telling a story about how she kicked Gigi from her class, because Gigi was being mean to Tessie, Vanessa’s best friend.

I wrap my arm around his, mindlessly as I feel tears coming up. When Vanessa wraps up her story, I stand up and say: ‘Excuse me.’

Of course I could’ve expected Vanessa following me, because when I’m near the bathroom, I hear her tiny footsteps following me. ‘Mommy, are you okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ I say, as I turn around. ‘Why are you following me, sweetie?’

‘You look sad.’

‘I’m not sad,’ I say, pulling her with me as I sit on the floor, placing her securely on my lap. ‘I’m happy.’

‘Is it that happy tears thing again?’ she asks.

She is such an adorable little thing. ‘It is.’

‘Why?’

‘You know, sweetie, for years I have been wanting to find right family for you, but deep down, I wanted to be part of one too. You haven’t ever met my family, my mom, my dad, my brothers… But I have. They were part of my life for twenty three years and then they all of the sudden didn’t want me anymore, because I was pregnant with you. So for seven years now, I have been doing this by myself.’

‘While you wanted a family,’ she fills in.

I nod. ‘And now we have one. A big one and a family that makes not only you, but me feel happy and welcome. But that feeling… I haven’t had that is such a long time and it makes me a bit emotional.’

‘I understand,’ she says with a smile. ‘You are very sweet, mommy. You deserve it.’ Vanessa gives me a big hug and when I bury my face deep in her hair, I can’t help but let out a tiny sob. ‘Don’t cry,’ Vanessa says in the same voice I use when she is crying. She pats my hair and I hear Kal walking over to us. ‘Even Kal is here to comfort you.’

He licks my face and I chuckle. ‘Hi, big bear,’ I say to the dog, who sits next to us and now gives Vanessa a lick. ‘Thank you for comforting me, sweetie.’

‘You always comfort me, even before I could remember.’ She tilts her head and admits: ‘Yesterday I took your phone and looked at the pictures.’

‘What pictures?’

‘Of you being pregnant with me and the years after that,’ she tells me. ‘You are very pretty, but you are also a good mommy.’

‘Oh sweetheart,’ I say. ‘I might be a vet, but the most important job I have is being your mom and you know? I enjoy every single second of it.’

‘Even when I’m not being a nice girl?’

‘Even then,’ I say, ‘because that’s the funny thing. You could do anything, literally any thing and I would still love you like crazy and love being your mom. Am I happy that you are doing something you shouldn’t be doing? No, but that’s all part of it.’

‘So you think my real dad is an idiot?’

‘Oh yeah, I totally think so. He is the biggest idiot on earth, for leaving me when I found out I was pregnant with you. He is missing out on so many amazing stuff.’

Vanessa chuckles. ‘But now I have a dad who does love me.’

I nod. ‘You do and remember: sometimes sad stuff has to happen, before good stuff happens.’

‘You are right, like always.’ She gives me a kiss and asks: ‘Are you going to have another baby soon?’

‘What?’ I ask.

‘I mean, since Henry is my dad now, I feel like I should become a big sister soon.’

I chuckle. ‘Well, I want another baby, but not right now,’ I say to her. ‘Maybe a little later.’

Vanessa nods. ‘I understand, I think.’

‘But don’t go around and tell people that, okay? Can you keep this a secret? Between you, me and Henry?’

She nods. ‘I promise.’

‘There you are,’ Henry says, walking over to the three of us. ‘We were wondering what you two were up to.’

‘Mommy looked sad, so I followed her. She was doing the happy tears thing again.’

Henry slides down until he is on the floor as well and wraps an arm around my shoulders. ‘Why was she doing the happy tears thing again?’

‘Because we are here,’ Vanessa says, cuddling up against me. ‘Dad, are you happy that we are here?’

‘I am,’ he says. ‘So insanely happy.’

Vanessa nods, thinks about it for a second and says: ‘Do you want to wait for another baby?’

He nearly chokes and I hold back a laugh. ‘Sorry?’

‘Do you want to wait for another baby?’ she repeats her question. ‘Mommy wants to wait.’

‘Well,’ he says, ‘I’m with your mommy on that one.’

‘But you want one?’

‘In the future, I sure want one. Then I have two kids,’ he says with a chuckle. ‘That means double the hugs and kisses, right?’

Vanessa chuckles. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ She gives both me and Henry a kiss and ushers Kal to walk with her, back to the table.

‘You okay?’ he asks, when we watched her going back to the dining table.

‘I am, it just seems to hit me a little different every time I realize I have a family now.’

He nods. ‘I know and I understand. I just hope that Vanessa keeps quiet about the whole baby thing for a while.’

‘She will,’ I say. ‘Guarantee.’


	12. Chapter 12

_Time sure does fly by._

After the Christmas dinner at his parents place, Henry blinked with his eyes and it was New Years Eve already. Normally he would spend it with his brothers, going to a New Years Eve party, but this year couldn’t have been more different. this year he was over at Olivia’s, trying to keep Vanessa awake for as long as possible, watching movie after movie. But at ten p.m. she fell asleep against her mother and Henry and Olivia decided they would wake her up at eleven forty five, so she could feel the joy again of not kissing one important person in her life into the new year, but two.

They sat in front of the window, as they watched the fireworks and Henry couldn’t help but get a little bit emotional.

This was a new beginning for all of them. The way Olivia and Vanessa had suddenly walked into his life and made their way to his heart, is something he is still intensely grateful for. They were the blessings that he was waiting for.

They enjoyed their last few days of holiday, sometimes with and sometimes without Olivia, as she had to go to work. But spending time with Vanessa was always nice. They would bake cakes, have little tea parties or they’d go on walks with Kal.

But then Vanessa had to go back to school again and he fell back into his standard routine of waking up, bringing both of them to their work of school, walk Kal, go to the grocery store if necessary, go to the gym, all that good stuff. And he continued to decline job offer after job offer.

Olivia kept asking him if he still wanted to take a break. He means, sure, he would like it if he would star in another movie again. It’s nice, you know: the filming process, the red carpets, the interviews and all the magazine cover shoots, but Henry isn’t sure he wants that anymore. Does he want to be away from his newly found family for that long?

He still isn’t ready to face possible bad reviews again come to think of it and he really doesn’t want to leave the two of them behind.

Besides, about money he’ll never have to worry again. He has enough of it.

Today however, it’s February 14th. Valentines Day. Thankfully Olivia doesn’t have to go to work today, so after they took Vanessa to school, he drove back with a nearly illegal speed to her place, because he had plans for the both of them.

The days that Olivia doesn’t have to go to work, are the only days where it’s just them. He loves Vanessa with all his heart and he would never ever want to lose her, but spending time with just Olivia can be a nice change from time to time.

The two of them made love for God knows how long and afterwards took a long shower together. He can’t seem to get enough of his lovely girlfriend and with the way she was clinging onto him the entire time, he figures she can’t get enough of him too.

But ever since his mother mentioned it about making Vanessa calling him dad official by simply adopting her, it hasn’t left his mind for a single second. He needed to think about this, because of course that’s what he wants, but he doesn’t want to force the idea on Olivia. Though they have been mentioning the whole idea of adding a new baby into their little family, he is still a bit hesitant about the adoption thing.

But for some reason, he feels the need now to ask what she thinks about this. Henry sits on the bed, a towel wrapped around his hips, as he stares at the woman he loves so much and so dearly.

‘Sweetheart,’ he says, gaining her attention. She turns around with a smile, as she puts on the tight black leggings. She is wearing one of his sweaters and he loves it when she walks around in his clothes and he means, it’s only fair, since her apron is becoming his favorite piece of clothing. ‘I have a question.’

‘I’m not going to make you waffles, Valentines Day or not.’

He chuckles. ‘That wasn’t my question, sweetheart.’ He ushers Olivia over and she sits on his lap, hooking her ankles together behind him. He loves the feeling of her hands on his chest (especially when he is not wearing a shirt) and he nearly gets distracted by it. ‘My mom said something around Christmas and I want to ask your opinion about it.’

Her frown gets deeper and she looks worried. ‘Is everything okay?’

He nods. ‘What would you say if I adopted Vanessa?’

Normally he can read at least something off of her face, but her entire expression is completely blank. He fears his suggestion was wrong. He already can see his future with her crumble apart. This was too soon, he thinks to himself. Sure, they mentioned the baby thing, but he should’ve brought up the adoption thing when she was pregnant with his baby.

‘Why would you want that?’ she asks.

 _What kind of a question is that?_ ‘Because… I… She… What?’

‘Why would you want to adopt her?’ Olivia asks again.

He needs a moment before he can find the right words, because he did not expect her to ask him this. ‘Because I’m here to stay,’ he simply states. ‘I love you, I love Vanessa and I love the idea of us being an official family.’

‘But what if we break up? Before we have another kid?’

Okay, he thought about that too and he totally understand why she asks this. ‘Because I still want to be there for Vanessa,’ he says. ‘No matter what happens to us. If you don’t want to, I totally understand, but—’

Olivia shakes her head. ‘I want you to adopt her,’ she interrupts him, ‘but I guess that I’m just scared that one day you might not want this anymore and you simply walk away. That’s the last thing I want for her.’

‘And I understand that, love,’ he says. ‘And I’m not forcing you to sign the papers right now, but I want you to think about it.’

‘I already think it’s a good idea,’ she says, a soft smile appearing on her face. ‘I want you to become her official dad, but there is only one person we really need to ask and that is Vanessa.’ Olivia leans in and gives him a kiss. She wants to pull back after the short peck, but he crashes his lips on hers again, unable to let go of her already.

Olivia is on board with him adopting Vanessa and when their lips part for a second, he lets out a shaky breath. This is truly happening. It’s slowly becoming what he always wanted: a family.

‘Maybe you can ask her tonight,’ she suggests.

Tonight on Valentines Day, he planned on taking them both out. Vanessa has been looking forward to this moment the entire week, when he officially asked both of them out on a date. Since Vanessa didn’t have a right father figure in her life who would show her how boys should treat her and Olivia has a shitty boyfriend experience, he felt the desperate need to make their first Valentines Day together as a family as memorable as it can be.

‘Yeah?’

Olivia nods. ‘You totally should.’

The hours pass by with Henry stealing kisses from Olivia, them walking with Kal and him insisting on buying her chocolate, because that’s what you do on Valentines Day and he was not going to miss out on that cliche. They pick up Vanessa from school and after they have eaten some cookies and drank some tea, Vanessa stands up and announces: ‘We are going to get ready for tonight. We are going to have a little girls… How do you call it mommy?’

‘A little girls pamper night,’ Olivia says. She looks at Henry and says: ‘So, no boys allowed.’

Henry pretends like he is insulted. ‘Well, then I’m going home with Kal and have a little pamper night, specifically for guys.’

‘But dad,’ Vanessa says, frowning deeply, ‘Kal isn’t going with us on the date.’

‘And he is not going to wear a suit, so,’ Olivia adds.

Henry lifts up Vanessa with one arm, before he hoists up Olivia in his other. ‘You two are so mean to me,’ he says.

‘Dad, let me go!’ Vanessa screams, before she starts laughing.

‘Oh my God, Henry, stop this!’ Olivia tries to wiggle herself out of his arms, but he is too strong.

‘Maybe we can distract him,’ Vanessa whisper shouts, still not aware that Henry can hear her, but he pretends he doesn’t. ‘With kisses.’

‘You go for that cheek,’ Olivia plays along, ‘then I go for this one, okay?’

Vanessa nods. ‘Three, two, one… Go!’

He feels two sets of lips on his cheeks and though he already knew this would happen, he still can’t help but chuckle. ‘Okay, okay, I surrender!’ he says. ‘You go have a girls pamper night and I’ll go home and pick out a nice outfit for myself, okay?’

Henry carefully places Olivia and Vanessa back on their feet, where they high five each other. ‘I’ll text you when we’re almost done,’ Olivia says, before standing on her toes to give him a kiss. ‘I love you, honey.’

‘I love you too, beautiful.’ He crouches down and gives Vanessa a kiss. ‘I also love you, sunshine,’ he says to her.

She chuckles. ‘I love you too, daddy. Now go.’

He can’t help but laugh, before he grabs his coat and clicks his tongue, so Kal knows they are leaving. ‘Enjoy your pamper night.’

‘We will,’ Olivia says and he walks out of the house, as he hears both of his ladies rush up the stairs, laughing in the process.

God, he truly is happy with his life right now.

When Henry and Kal are back at his own house, he misses them already. He misses hearing them laugh, he misses the unlimited hugs and kisses and he even misses Vanessa tiny temper tantrums.

He holds out his phone and looks at some of the pictures and videos he made of the course of a few months. Vanessa falling asleep next to Kal, Olivia sitting across from him at the table, the four of them in bed. Every moment he gets to spend with them, is one he cherishes. And he can’t wait to adopt Vanessa, to marry Olivia and have more kids with her.

≫≫≪≪

Henry lets himself in when he got a text from Olivia that they are nearly ready. He stands at the bottom of the stairs and yells: ‘I’m here.’

‘You are all dressed up?’ Vanessa asks.

He chuckles. ‘I sure am, sunshine.’

‘We’re almost done,’ he hears Olivia say. He leans with his shoulder against the doorframe and he hears footsteps coming from upstairs. He recognizes that they are Vanessa’s and Henry can’t help but break out in a big and proud smile, when he sees her. She is wearing a lovely pink dress, with a black cardigan over it. On her feet she wears slip-ons that match the color of her dress and her hair hangs loose beside her face, a fake flower clipped between the strands.

‘You look absolutely beautiful,’ he says in absolute awe. ‘My oh my, Vanessa.’

‘I’m even wearing a bit of mommy’s lipstick.’ She wraps her arms around his legs and he clears his throat. Vanessa looks so happy, especially when she realized that not only did Henry want to go on a date with Olivia, but also with her.

‘Why?’ she asked. ‘Isn’t Valentines Day for couples?’

He simply shrugged. ‘Maybe some people think like that, but I like to spend my Valentines Day with not only your mom, but also with you. Valentines Day is about showing people who you care about a little bit of extra love and I care deeply about you too.’

The look in her eyes then was priceless and that same sparkle was still here and that only makes him realize: he never wants to let her go. He desperately wants to adopt Vanessa Tran and make her his legal daughter.

‘Mommy looks really beautiful,’ she tells him, as he lifts her up in his arms. ‘I bet you are going to fall in love even more.’

‘I didn’t know that was possible,’ he jokingly says. ‘Olivia, sweetheart, are you ready?’

‘I am, I am,’ he hears, followed by her footsteps on the steps, as she descends from the stairs.

His breath gets caught in his throat. Holy shit, he thinks to himself. She wears a tight fitted dress, in a lovely shade of red that he has never seen her wear before. She paired it with black heels, that he didn’t even know she owned. The dress has short sleeves and he sees how the fabric hugs her godly figure just right.

‘Mommy, is Henry speechless?’ Vanessa asks, pinching his cheek, hoping to gain his attention, but he can’t stop gawking at Olivia.

Olivia seems to blush. ‘I think so.’

‘Is it because he thinks you’re pretty or because he doesn’t like the way you look?’

‘I sure hope it’s the first one, otherwise I need to dump him,’ Olivia laughs. ‘Henry, honey, are you okay?’

‘Wow,’ he says, ‘you look beautiful, darling. I’m such a lucky guy that I’m taking out the two most beautiful ladies out on a date.’

Olivia walks up to the both of them and gives him a kiss. ‘And Vanessa and I are very lucky to be taken out by such a handsome looking man, aren’t we, sweetheart?’

Vanessa nods. ‘I understand why my mommy is in love with you, daddy,’ she chuckles.

≫≫≪≪

During their dinner, Henry can’t help but notice the looks on other peoples faces. Some look at their table, probably because they think it’s weird that they brought a seven year old along, but those aren’t the looks that he thinks about too much.

It’s the look of adoration, of admiration, because they look so cute as a family. And they actually do. Vanessa sits on her mothers lap and he thinks of that moment alone, he has taken a hundred pictures.

He stares at Olivia, as the dim lights still highlight her exceptional beauty and he wonders: what did he do in life to deserve a woman as beautiful, as intelligent and as strong as her?

And he wants to ask Vanessa now about the whole adoption thing, but he hears Olivia’s phone ring. She looks at the screen and groans annoyed, before she picks up. ‘Tito, you are on call,’ she says, ‘don’t you dare call me … Oh, really? … How is her heartbeat? … Oh no, poor thing … I’m coming right over. See you in a bit, bye.’ She hangs up her phone. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says.

‘You have to go, mommy?’ Vanessa asks, before licking the chocolate crumbs of her lips. She doesn’t seem to be disappointed, something that he truly admires and he is still in awe at how well Olivia has raised her.

The other day when a dog died on the operation table—a risk everyone was aware about—Olivia came home and simply started crying. Vanessa knew exactly what was up and told her mom that she did her best and that the owners knew that and the doggie in heaven knew that too.

‘I have. There is a dog who is having her puppies right now, but there are some difficulties.’

Henry watches her give Vanessa a kiss, before placing the young girl on the chair when she stands up. ‘Can I borrow your car?’ she asks.

‘Of course, my love,’ he says, handing her over the keys. Olivia gives him her own set of keys and he says: ‘Vanessa, sunshine, how about you and I finish dessert and then we walk home?’

Vanessa nods. ‘Of course, mommy has to save some puppies.’

‘Exactly,’ Olivia says, giving her daughter even more kisses. ‘Have fun you two and I’ll be happy when I’m home again with you.’ She presses her lips on Henry’s and whispers: ‘Go ask her, honey,’ before she rushes out of the restaurant.

Henry can’t help but stare at the beautiful woman, but he also realizes that he really needs to ask this question now. ‘Daddy,’ Vanessa says, tapping his hand and he looks up. ‘What do you like about mommy?’

He nearly blushes. ‘There is so much I like about mommy. I like how she is really rough and strong, how she loves you so so much, how she always lights up when you walk into the room.’

Vanessa nods. ‘She does that. She is a sweet mommy.’

‘She totally is.’ He brushes out a strand of her hair out of her face. ‘Sunshine, I have to ask you something, okay?’

‘Okay.’

‘Do you like it when I’m with you?’

Vanessa stirs through her dessert and starts to laugh. ‘I love it when you are with us. Mommy is always really happy when you are here and I like having a dad around.’ She gets off the chair, so she can sit on his lap. ‘Why?’

‘Because I have an important question for you and I want you to think about it real good, okay?’

‘Okay, I can do that.’

 _Of course she can._ ‘You know that you are not officially my daughter, though I call you my daughter and I’m your dad, right?’

She nods.

‘Well, if I adopt you, then I can officially become your dad and you’re officially my daughter. That means we have to sign some papers and all.’

‘But why does that need to happen?’ she asks. ‘I call you my dad, right?’

He nods. ‘But if you are not officially my daughter and something happens to your mom for example, there is a chance you can’t stay with me.’

Her eyes widen. ‘But that is mean, because you are my dad.’

‘I know, sweetheart, but that’s how it works.’

‘When can we do that? Adopting?’

He chuckles as he watches her smile. ‘Your mom and I have to figure that out, but from this reaction, I take it that you want me to adopt you.’

‘Of course I want you to be officially my daddy!’ She wraps her arms around him and squeals. ‘I can’t wait to tell miss Sue that I’m going to have an official dad!’

Their entire walk to Olivia’s place, Vanessa is skipping and by the time they are at the front door, he hears his own car driving through the streets. ‘Look who is there?’ he asks Vanessa, squeezing her hand.

‘Mommy!’

He has barely seen Olivia drive his car, but after she parallel parked, he falls even more in love with her. She gets out of the car and Vanessa rushes towards her. ‘How are the puppies?’

‘They are all good,’ Olivia says. ‘All very beautiful and healthy and no, we can’t have one.’

Vanessa wants to stomp her feet on the ground, but then she remembers what happened just about forty five minutes ago. ‘Mommy, I’m going to have an official daddy,’ she says. ‘He is going to adopt me.’

Olivia bites her lip, but from the looks of it, she tears up a bit. Henry watches her swallow hard and then she says: ‘I’m so happy for you, sweetheart.’ She crouches down and pulls Vanessa in a tight hug. She places her chin on Vanessa’s tiny shoulder and smiles at Henry. ‘Thank you,’ she mouths to him.

He wants to shake his head, but decides not to do it, though he wants to say what is truly important: _Thank you, Olivia Tran, for giving me a family._

≫≫≪≪

 **Henry:** Everyone, I have good news!

 **Henry:** And no, Olivia is not pregnant, so you can unclench your butthole now.

 **Niki:** Butthole unclenched, now tell us what the good news is.

 **Henry:** I’m going to officially adopt Vanessa

 **Mom:** Finally! I’m so happy for you, my dear!

 **Dad:** So, she’s officially becoming a Cavill now?

 **Simon:** Oh shit, Vanessa Cavill, I like that

 **Piers:** You should marry Olivia as well, otherwise everyone is a Cavill, except for her and I don’t want her to feel left out.

 **Simon:** Olivia Cavill, I like that too!

 **Henry:** No, wait, stop!

 **Niki:** Then they’re officially the Cavills. Wouldn’t that be cute?

 **Henry:** You are all going way too fast now

 **Charlie:** Why? You’re going to adopt Vanessa, right?

 **Henry:** But they are used to be called Tran and I don’t want to take that away. We (and with we, I mean Olivia, Vanessa and I and that doesn’t involve any of you!) have to think about this.

 **Mom:** I totally understand, sweetheart. I’m happy that the first step is there. Now everyone, say congratulations. I didn’t marry nor raised rude Cavills

≫≫≪≪

To celebrate the adoption, the three of them go to the ice skating range. Since Henry actually doesn’t like ice skating, he watches Vanessa and Olivia sliding on the ice. They do this every year a few times and from the looks of it, it’s a good thing that Henry doesn’t like ice skating. This is such a lovely mother daughter moment and he felt like he would ruin that, if he participated in this. He sometimes forget that they had a life together for six whole years, before he came even in the picture. Instead, he grabs his phone, so he can make some clips and pictures, so he can send this to his family.

It’s going to be official, he thinks to himself. He is going to be officially Vanessa’s father. He had to think about it for nearly two months, before he could voice his thoughts with Olivia, but now he is happy that he did tell her, even kind of regretting that he kept it to himself for so long.

‘Hi daddy!’ he hears Vanessa yell and he holds up his hand and she soars past him, Olivia holding tightly onto her hand. Henry keeps looking at them, especially at Olivia. For the past two months, they have been discussing the whole baby thing a bit more, and he is impressed that Vanessa has indeed kept her mouth shut and only mentions it when the three of them are together.

But Olivia is right: they should wait a bit more. There is so much for them to figure out and and he truly doesn’t want to force it onto her. Besides, she has to do the hard work for nine months straight and he wants her to be totally ready.

But sometimes, when they are in bed and Vanessa is trying to sleep in her own room (has yet to work out, but she stays in her bed longer and longer, before she rushes back to them), he slips his hand underneath her shirt, placing a heavy on her belly. ‘What are you doing?’ Olivia would groggily ask every single time, knowing exactly what he was doing.

‘Go to sleep, sweetheart,’ he’d whisper, pressing kisses on her temple. She’d place her hand on his, before she’d fall asleep. He can’t wait for her to be pregnant, but he also knows that he would definitely not take another job, because he wants to be there every step of the way.

Olivia and Vanessa balance on the skates as they attempt to walk up to him and when they succeeded, they sit on the bench. ‘Dad,’ Vanessa says and it still gives him a happy feeling deep inside, hearing her call him dad, ‘mommy and I had an idea.’

‘Tell me all about it.’

‘We are going to drink hot chocolate with a lot of whipped cream.’

‘That, sunshine, sounds like an excellent idea and I’m totally here for it.’ He helps her taking off her skates and Vanessa slips on her shoes. ‘You need help, love?’ he asks Olivia, who can’t seem to get her left skate off.

Vanessa starts to giggle as she sits next to Olivia, while she sticks out her foot and says: ‘Yes, I need help.’

‘My mommy is a big baby,’ Vanessa chuckles.

Henry helps her take off the left skate and suggests: ‘How about you go find a spot at the restaurant, while I return the skates and bring back the hot chocolate?’

‘That is such a wonderful plan,’ Olivia says, slipping on her boot, before she and Vanessa walk off to the restaurant.

It’s funny, but they have the same walk. Lots of traits they have are nearly identical. They scrunch their noses the same way when they see something disgusting. The sideways glances they share. The way they walk. Even when they are concentrated, you can tell that Vanessa is the exact copy of Olivia: they both push the tip of their tongue in their bottom lip.

It makes him wonder: what traits would an eventual sibling have of both Olivia and him? Would there be certain things that Henry does, that Vanessa will copy?

After he returned the skates and ordered three hot chocolates, he walks to their table, where the two of them are babbling like they usually do. He sits next to Vanessa, giving her a kiss on top of her head and she giggles. ‘Thanks, daddy,’ she says with a smile, as she grabs the mug.

‘Thank you, honey,’ Olivia says and she leans back in the chair. ‘Alright, before we go back home, we need to do some groceries.’

‘Again?’ Vanessa asks. ‘We done groceries four days ago.’

‘I know, but since we have extra people in our house, we need more food. Besides, mister Cavill over here eats a lot.’

Vanessa chuckles. ‘Yes, he does. He always takes another portion.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Henry says, fake insulted. ‘I can’t help but get another portion. I’m a big man, I need to eat a lot.’ He looks at Vanessa and says: ‘If you want to grow tall and strong, you need to eat well.’

‘But… We don’t give Kal another portion, because otherwise he would get fat,’ Vanessa says.

Though Kal is almost at his ideal weight (he only has one more kilo to go!), the insults, how direct or indirect they are, about Kal’s weight, are still a very effective way to make Henry go quiet.

‘It’s a bit different for dogs and humans,’ Olivia says, placing her hand on top of Henry’s. ‘Dogs don’t go to the gym, like Henry does.’

‘Right,’ Vanessa says, nodding as she stares at her hot chocolate. ‘Can we buy those cookies?’

Henry bursts out in laughter. ‘Well, I want to, but we have to ask your mom.’

‘Like I’m able to say no to both of your cute faces,’ Olivia chuckles, before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

In those past months that have flown by, he has barely spend a minute of it at his own house. Though it’s a lot bigger than Olivia’s, it doesn’t feel as homey as hers. He sometimes goes back to grab some clothing, some of Kal’s stuff or his own, but he could put that place up the market.

What would life be like, if he bought a new house for all of them?

Before he can finish his thought, he hears someone clear his throat. ‘Olivia?’

They all look up, but while Vanessa tilts her head and Henry wonders who this is, he nearly sees steam coming out of Olivia’s ears. ‘What are you doing here?’ It’s like the temperature of the entire restaurant has dropped quite a few degrees.

The man looks at Vanessa and asks: ‘Is this her?’

‘Don’t you dare look at her. I asked you a question and you better answer.’

Henry has never seen Olivia like this, her eyes dark like this and ready to kill from the looks of it.

‘Mommy, who is this?’ Vanessa asks.

‘This is Wesley,’ Olivia says, not stopping looking at the man. ‘He is the man that left me before you were even born.’


	13. Chapter 13

I think I should thank the universe that my daughter is here, because otherwise I would’ve murdered Wesley right now, after throwing my hot chocolate in his face. After seven plus years of not seeing him and resisting the urge of not going online to check what he is up to nowadays, looking at him in real life sure brings back a whole lot of emotions. He is basically the same, only he lost a bit of weight, especially around his face.

I don’t think he looks necessarily good and maybe it’s his conscious eating him alive inside.

Just as he deserves. _Motherfucker_.

I see him looking at my daughter and Vanessa has no problem staring back at him. She has a frown between her brows and I know she is thinking about all the questions she can ask the man that left her before she was even born. The man that didn’t want her, before he even got to know her.

I stand up from the table and grab his arm, dragging him away from the table. Dragging him away from my family. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’

‘She looks an awful lot like you,’ he notes. ‘What’s her name?’

‘What the fuck is that suppose to mean?’ I ask him. He wants to look over his shoulder again, right at my daughter but my mom reflexes and mom voice are no joke. ‘Wesley, don’t you dare look at her. Look at me.’

He does what I ask him to do. ‘Who is that man?’

It’s beyond me where Wesley has got the nerves to answer my questions with his own questions, but after having Vanessa, I’m able to play along just fine. ‘What are you doing here?’ I ask him. ‘Why do you all of the sudden care about her? You certainly didn’t give a shit when I was pregnant with her.’

‘I’m a changed man, Livi.’

That nickname brings me back to a time where I was so in love with him. A time where I knew I would marry this man, but after spending a few months with Henry, I realized that it was a blessing that he broke up with me. He treated me okay, but never in the way Henry does.

‘It’s Olivia for you,’ I tell him, ‘and you honestly want me to believe that you are a changed man?’ I can’t help but laugh out of pity. ‘Well, you are quite something, Wesley, I have to give you that.’

‘I’m serious,’ he says and he actually looks like he means it. He gestures to his right, my left and when I follow where he is pointing towards, I see a woman sitting, who stares at me with daggers. She places her hand protectively on her pregnant belly and right next to her, I see a young boy sitting, who actually looks pretty cute. ‘That’s Ria,’ he says, ‘and our son Kevin.’

 _Our_ son Kevin? I don’t see Wesley for the type of saint that would adopt someone else’s kid (I mean, he is no Henry and no matter what kind of changed man he is, he’ll never reach that level of maturity), so I clear my throat, before I ask: ‘How old is Kevin?’

‘He is six.’

Wesley could’ve stabbed me in my stomach and that wouldn’t have hurt or shocked me, as I am now. ‘He is six?’ I ask him, trying so hard not to raise my voice. ‘You knocked someone up right after you left me?’

Wesley doesn’t say a word.

‘Oh my God,’ I say in utter disbelieve, running my fingers through my hair. ‘You are un-fucking-believable. You left me, let me figure this whole parenting thing out all on my own, while you start a family? Wesley, what the fuck is wrong with you? I can’t believe this. You leave me, my whole family leaves me, because I got pregnant. Have you any idea in what kind of fucking situation you put me through?’

‘I want to get to know her.’

It’s admirable that Wesley has some guts, I have to give him that. ‘No,’ I chuckle. ‘You fucking can’t. You walked out of both of our lives when I gave you the chance to be a dad. You can’t just barge in, because you saw us sitting there. You and your precious new family stay out of our lives and I’ll gladly stay out of yours.’

I want to walk past him, right back to my table, but he grabs my arm. ‘Wait,’ he says and for some weird reason I do wait. ‘Here is my number.’ He hands me a card and I can’t help but stare at this.

‘Since when are you the type of person that has a card?’ I ask, grabbing it out of his hand. ‘Oh look at that. You somehow finished college and you’re a real estate agent now. I’ll be damned.’ I almost want to rip the card apart, but I know that my daughter is looking at me, so I can’t act stupid now.

‘Please, if you change your mind, let me know. I want to make up for the years I wasn’t there for you two.’

I don’t even look at him, I can’t even look at him, so I walk back to my table. ‘We’re leaving,’ I say to Vanessa and Henry. Vanessa wants to look at Wesley, but I block her view. ‘Don’t look at him,’ I tell her and nearly drag her with me outside. Vanessa doesn’t say anything, nor does Henry.

I help her in her carseat and the first five minutes of our drive go by in complete silence. ‘Mommy,’ Vanessa finally says and I admire her for having the balls to open her mouth. ‘Was that my real dad?’

‘He is your biological dad, yes.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘When two people make a baby, you have a bit of both in you. So, Henry and all his brothers have a bit of both Marianne and Colin in them.’

Vanessa mhms. ‘Why were you mad at him?’

‘Because he wants to be part of your life.’

‘Oh.’

It’s quiet for a few seconds, before I finally snap again. ‘That idiot honestly thought that he could just barge right back into my life, after everything he _didn’t_ do for me?’ I ask myself out loud. ‘That bastard had the guts, _the guts_ , to hand me over his card, so I could call him if we change our minds about it. Did you know he has a new lady, who is pregnant and already gave birth to a kid of him? That kid is six. Six! While I’m struggling with my job, with my new baby all by myself, he is out there, impregnating this other woman…’

‘Mommy, what is impregnating?’

‘… having kids with her and being a loyal loving family man. What the hell is wrong with him? Now I finally, _finally_ have the life that I wanted for both myself and Vanessa and he has the nerves to just walk into my life again? Thinking he can do that? Why are men such big fat pigs? Who has the audacity to look around in a restaurant, see his ex girlfriend with _her_ daughter and obviously her new boyfriend and just walk up to them to ask: ‘Is this her?’. Like he knows Vanessa. Like he was there for her when she was just born!’

I let out a frustrated breath, as I cross my arms and stare out of the window. Henry gently places his hand on my thigh and lean my head back against the head rest of the seat.

‘Mommy, his new kid,’ Vanessa says, ‘does he have a part of that man in him?’

‘Yes, he does, so technically he is your half brother and the child inside the belly of the other woman is your half sister or another half brother.’ I look at Henry and say softly: ‘If that woman didn’t stray of course.’

Henry doesn’t say anything and the rest of the car ride continues in silence. This is crazy, I think to myself. That Wesley left my subconscious a long time ago and now he is all my entire family can think about.

When we’re back inside our house, I keep pacing around the living room, while Henry and Vanessa plop on the couch, carefully watching my moves.

‘Mom, can I meet him?’

I nearly collapse. ‘Excuse me, what?’ I ask, in a lot harsher tone than I usually talk to her, even when I’m angry with her. ‘Why on earth would you want to meet him?’

‘Olivia,’ Henry says, shaking his head, telling me non verbally that I need to tone it down a notch.

‘Because… I want to get to know him.’

I sigh deeply. ‘Sweetheart, he left you, before you were born. I think that is all you need to know about him. Besides, you have a great dad now.’

She nods. ‘I know, but I want to ask him something.’

‘What do you wanna ask him?’

‘Why he left.’

Oh my God, I’m going to cry and never stop. She wants to ask him that question, that is too pure and too sweet and it makes me want to kill Wesley even more. She looks so vulnerable.

‘Oh,’ I say. Who am I to stop her from doing this? Whether I like it or not, that man, that lousy piece of shit, is still her biological father. If she wants to see him, to get to know him, why should I stop her? Simply because I have personal vendetta against him, hate his guts and wouldn’t cry a single moment if he accidentally got under a bus? ‘On one condition,’ I tell her. ‘I am there every single second.’

Vanessa nods. ‘I want Henry there too.’ She looks up at him and says: ‘But only if you want to, of course.’

My daughter is so considerate and I love her for that. God, I did such a good job with raising her by myself. Where is the standing ovation I deserve?

‘I want to,’ Henry says. ‘For you I’d do anything. Maybe you should hug your mom. She looks like she needs it.’

Vanessa jumps off the couch and walks up to me. ‘I love you, mommy,’ she says.

‘Oh, sweetheart, I love you too. I’m sorry I was so hard on you.’

She shakes her head. ‘I get it, you are really angry. You really don’t like what he did, because you never got this mad at me.’

I chuckle. ‘No, that’s true. I’ll send him a text.’

≫≫≪≪

So tomorrow we are going to meet up with Wesley at a cafe. I chose a public place, because otherwise I’m tempted to kill him if we are somewhere more private. After I called Belle and vented for a good half an hour before I let her speak, she told me I was doing the right and mature thing. She also told me that after we met up, we should hang out, so we can talk about this, because it would probably be better for my blood pressure to immediately talk about the meeting.

And all of the sudden I’m in desperate need for some motherly advice, but counting on my own mother is out of the window. So with Vanessa and Henry we go to the Cavill residence and thankfully Charlie is there, so he and Colin can take Vanessa with them, to play some stupid games, walk around the house, while I can have a heart to heart talk with Marianne, Henry close by.

I haven’t spoken to him really since Vanessa asked me to see her biological father. The only thing he did was giving me tight hugs so I would stop pacing, give me a kiss every now and then and simply whisper that I was doing the right thing.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Henry right next to me and Marianne across from me, is weirdly calming. ‘You are doing the right thing,’ Marianne also says. ‘So, your friend Belle and Henry are right.’

I place my elbows on the hard surface, before I bury my face in my hands. ‘It was my grand idea to have some hot chocolate afterwards,’ I mumble. ‘Hadn’t I done that, we wouldn’t have run into him.’

‘Maybe we were suppose to run into him,’ Henry says, placing his arm around my shoulders. ‘Sweetheart, whether you like it or not, he is Vanessa’s real dad. She deserves to get to know him.’

‘But what if she likes him more?’ I ask and I realize that was my fear all along. ‘I tried so hard for her and what if she meets him and thinks: oh, that man, I like him a lot more than I like my mom and the entire family she gave me.’

‘No, no, no,’ Henry says, ‘you know that is not going to happen. Because of your honesty to her all these previous years, she is well aware of what he did to both you and her. It’s always her biggest fear that I’m leaving after she did something that she shouldn’t do. I think she just wants some answers, so she can think about it.’

‘You raised a smart and intelligent girl, Olivia,’ Marianne says. ‘So I have an idea. Tomorrow the three of you go straight to us, you bring your friend Belle along too and we can have a nice long talk, to process this. It’s scary, my dear, I know that, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. You are a whole lot tougher than you think you are.’

I let out a sigh. ‘Yeah, you are right.’

Marianne asks me if I want some more tea and I think I want to. While she walks off to the kitchen, Henry presses a kiss on my temple. ‘How are you, love?’ he asks.

‘When we’re home, I think I’m going to take a long hot shower. You mind?’

‘Of course not,’ he says. ‘Vanessa and I can start on dinner, how about that?’ Henry has a smile on his face when he sees me nod. ‘I am proud of you.’ He leans in and gives me a long kiss. ‘I’m so happy that I can get to call you my girlfriend.’

‘You’re not scared?’

He nods. ‘I am, very much so, but I also have a lot of faith in your daughter.’

‘Our daughter,’ I correct him.

Henry blushes a bit and I pull him into a hug. I bury my face in his neck and let out a content sigh, for the first time in a few hours. ‘I love you,’ he whispers.

‘I love you too, Henry,’ I say. ‘And I trust our daughter too. Just promise me that if I have to go to the clinic, or to the bathroom, you keep an eye on them. Don’t leave him with her for a single second, okay?’

‘I was going to ask you the same thing too,’ he chuckles. ‘We’ll be alright, darling. I guarantee.’

≫≫≪≪

I’m surprised Wesley is early. He was always late when we dated. Maybe he did change, a little bit. Before we walk into the cafe, I stop Vanessa in her tracks and I say: ‘You can ask him anything you want. If there is something he says that you don’t like, you can tell him that. If you want to leave, you can just ask me or Henry and we’ll leave right away. Remember, you don’t owe him anything.’

Vanessa nods. ‘I know, mommy, you told five times already this morning.’

‘Don’t be a smart ass now,’ I say to her.

Henry places his heavy hands on her shoulders and says: ‘You have to cut your mom some slack, she doesn’t mean it like that. She is just still a bit mad.’

Vanessa chuckles. ‘I know. Mommy, it will all be fine. You are here, daddy is here.’

‘I’m sorry, you’re right.’ I give her a big kiss and say: ‘You are a good kid.’

The three of us walk into the cafe and Wesley stands up from his spot. Vanessa walks over to him and holds out her hand. ‘Hello,’ she says, ‘my name is Vanessa.’

Wesley takes her hand in his, while he keeps standing up. I don’t want to compare (but I’m still gonna), but all the insanely tall Cavills crouch down when they talk to her. ‘Hi Vanessa, I’m Wesley.’

‘I know who you are, my mommy told me all about you.’

You go, girl. I’m so proud of her already and I can’t believe that my daughter is handling this situation a whole lot better than I am.

Wesley nods and looks at Henry. ‘Aren’t you the actor?’ he asks. ‘Henry Cavill?’

‘I certainly am,’ Henry says, shaking my ex boyfriends hand.

We all sit down, order something to drink. While I am in the desperate mood for some vodka, I decide to go with a cappuccino, just to be safe. I ordered Henry not to break the silence, because Wesley wanted to meet Vanessa so badly, so he should keep up the conversation.

Vanessa takes a sip of her apple juice and looks at Wesley. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

I think Wesley is grateful that she decided to break the silence, because he nods. ‘Of course.’

‘Why did you leave my mommy?’

‘Because I was scared,’ he says. ‘I thought I wasn’t ready to be a dad yet.’

There is so much I want to say to him. You think I was ready to become a mother? You think I wasn’t scared?

Vanessa sighs and I see her bottom lip tremble. God, this is too much for me to handle and I want to jump up, hoist her up in my arms and while I walk out of this cafe, punch Wesley right in the nose. ‘Why didn’t you want to love me?’

I look at Henry, who places a comforting hand on my leg. It might be uncomfortable now, but I know that this will be good for Vanessa and for me for that matter.

Wesley doesn’t know what to say.

‘Am I that unloveable?’ she continues to ask.

Now I can’t keep my mouth shut, because now she is doubting herself and as a mother I can’t let that happen. ‘No,’ I say to her. ‘You are not unloveable, don’t you ever think like that again.’

Vanessa frowns. ‘But he didn’t love me.’

‘He didn’t even want to love you. He didn’t even try,’ I say, not caring he is there and can totally hear this. ‘Remember sweetheart, he walked out on you and me, not the other way around.’

‘I was scared,’ Wesley tells me.

‘Don’t you think I was?’ I ask him, absolutely dumbfounded. I turn to Vanessa again and ask her: ‘Remember what I always tell you? About fear?’

She nods. ‘That you are allowed to be scared, but that it should never stop you in life.’

‘That’s right. But sweetheart, you were talking to Wesley, I’m sorry I interrupted.’

Vanessa shakes her head. ‘That’s okay, mommy. You can always interrupt me.’

Suck that up, Wesley, I think to myself. My daughter is fucking polite and I did that all by myself.

‘You know,’ Vanessa continues, ‘I always wondered why I didn’t have a dad. Kids in my class have one and I wanted one too.’

‘I understand,’ Wesley says, though he grows more uncomfortable with the second. I bet he underestimated my daughter and her communication skills and now he should deal with the consequences of that easy thinking of his.

‘And then my mommy met Henry,’ she says with a beaming smile. ‘He is a real daddy, you know. He bought me my first bike, my first Christmas tree and he took my out on a Valentines date two days ago.’

_Yes, honey, please rub it in._

Wesley takes a sip of his coffee and he actually is trying to leave, I can totally see it in his body language. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Henry asks, picking up on those signs as well. ‘You sit down now. Vanessa is talking to you and you better listen to it.’

This isn’t the moment to think about hot and passionate sex with Henry, but tomorrow I’m off work a little bit earlier than usual and you bet your ass I’m going to spoil him in a whole lot of nasty ways before we have to pick Vanessa up.

‘Please, Vanessa, continue,’ Henry says to her with a loving smile.

Vanessa nods. ‘He is going to adopt me soon,’ she continues, eyes shining bright with excitement. ‘And then we are officially a family.’

‘Right.’

‘My mommy cried a lot because of you. She didn’t know I saw her, but usually at night she would cry on the couch. I heard her talking to my auntie Belle about you and that I don’t have a daddy. That’s your fault.’

Henry and I exchange glances and he seems to be impressed by our daughter.

‘Vanessa,’ Wesley says, ‘I don’t want to have this conversation with you.’

She seems a bit shocked. ‘Why not?’ she asks.

‘Yeah, Wesley, why not?’ I ask him, crossing my arms in front of my chest. ‘Tell her why not.’

‘This is a grown up conversation.’

‘No, it’s not,’ I retort. ‘It’s about her, so she should have a conversation with you and if you are intimidated by a seven year old, then you are really even less of a man than I figured you were.’

Henry clears his throat. ‘You keep your ass on that chair and if you don’t do that, I have no problems at all forcing you onto that seat. You listen to Vanessa and you have a conversation with her. Right here and right now.’

Wesley is getting more and more frustrated right now, but I’m not cutting him slack. No, he wanted this. He ruined my perfect day by forcing himself basically into our lives.

‘So, you have a son and almost a new baby, right?’ Vanessa asks.

‘Mhm.’

‘Do you love them?’

‘I do,’ Wesley says.

She thinks about her next move long and hard. ‘Cool.’ Vanessa simply stares at him and even tilts her head. ‘I don’t like you.’

My mouth falls open and I can’t help but feel so proud of her.

‘Excuse me, what?’ Wesley asks.

‘I don’t like you,’ she repeats, rolling her eyes and I can almost hear her thinking: _Are you deaf?_ ‘You made me sad, because you walked out before I was born. You made my mommy sad and very angry yesterday and I don’t like it when that happens. I am happy that I saw you, because now I know that you… Mommy, can I say this?’

‘Go for it.’

‘Now I know that you really are an idiot.’ She looks at Henry. ‘Right, daddy?’

Henry nods. ‘You’re totally right, sunshine.’

‘You allow this?’ Wesley asks me. ‘You allow this kind of talk?’

‘I didn’t know you had the right to give an opinion about my parenting skills,’ I say to him.

‘I wanted a second chance, but with what you are telling her about me…’

‘Is the truth, buddy,’ Henry says. ‘What did you think would happen? That they waited seven years for you to come back? Of course not. You left them and Olivia made the brave choice of raising her daughter with the upmost honesty and respect, something that you obviously lack.’

‘And you think you can just barge into their lives and be the savior?’ Wesley retorts.

‘Excuse me?’ Henry asks. ‘I’ve been acting more like a dad to Vanessa in one day than you have been your entire life. I think you should be grateful that I swooped in and give her the dad she deserves to have.’

‘Wesley,’ Vanessa says and he looks at her. ‘I hope you love your new kids, because they deserve a dad.’

That’s more maturity than I could ever have. Did I raise this girl?

‘I have to go,’ Wesley says.

‘No, you’re not. I didn’t hear Vanessa was finished,’ Henry says, clearly getting more and more frustrated with Wesley. ‘Sunshine, you finished?’

‘Almost.’

‘Listen to the young lady,’ Henry says, his eyes not leaving Wesley once.

Vanessa clears her throat and says: ‘I don’t want to see you ever again.’

‘Well, make two of that, sweetheart,’ I say.

‘Three,’ Henry mumbles.

‘Now you can go. I finished my apple juice.’

Wesley looks at me, jaw clenched and ready to murder me. Honestly, I don’t even blame him. If I were a coward and in his shoes, I’d kill me too.

‘You know, sweetheart, we’ll go instead,’ I say to her. I get up from the chair and say to Wesley: ‘I bet you wished you didn’t walk up to us now, didn’t you?’

I grab Vanessa’s hand and with Henry we walk outside of the cafe. The second we are outside, I lift her up in my arms. ‘I am so proud of you, baby.’ I press tons of kisses on her faces, causing her to squeal. ‘You are the biggest bad ass I’ve ever met in my entire life!’

Vanessa hugs me tightly. ‘I’m happy he left you, mommy.’

‘That was the biggest blessing ever.’

Henry gives Vanessa a kiss on her cheek and says: ‘I’m so proud of you, sunshine. He is indeed a big idiot.’

The door of the cafe opens. ‘What the fuck was that?’ Wesley fumes.

‘Language,’ I tell him sternly, like it’s going to work. The word ‘fuck’ slipped my lips multiple times and thankfully Vanessa understands she can never repeat that word.

For now, at least. When she is a teenager, I sure hope she starts to use it then.

‘You totally set this kid up,’ he continues. ‘Talking bad about me behind my back.’

‘Well, I would’ve talked bad about you right in your face, but you walked out of my life, remember?’

I feel like Wesley is about to attack me, but Henry steps in between us. ‘I would suggest you leave. Vanessa told you she doesn’t want to see you anymore and I think you should respect that. We have your number and will call you if she changes her mind.’

‘And you,’ he spits, ‘you honestly think you can waltz into their lives?’

‘I do, actually and I did waltz into their lives. Turned out to be amazing. Honestly, Wesley, you don’t know what you’re missing. Vanessa is such a bright and intelligent and well spoken girl and Olivia is fascinating on her own and an amazing mother.’

Wesley doesn’t have any control over himself anymore, because he launches forward, planning on hitting Henry, who doesn’t seem impressed one single second. Henry grabs my lousy ex boyfriend by his collar and pushes him against the wall. ‘What was that?’ he asks unbothered.

_God, he is sexy and this is totally doing things to my panties right now._

‘Let go of me.’

‘Only if you promise us you stay out of our lives and we never see you again, unless we had some sort of aneurism and weirdly enough want to see you.’

‘Fuck you.’

‘Language,’ Vanessa and I yell at the same time.

Henry chuckles. ‘It’s very simple. Just say you promise and I’ll let you go.’

Wesley clenches his jaw. ‘I promise.’

‘Easy, wasn’t it?’ I could’ve known that Henry wasn’t going to _just_ let him go. He throws Wesley to the ground and says: ‘You big piece of shit.’

‘Mister Cavill,’ I say with a smile when he walks up to us again. ‘That was quite something.’

He gives me a long kiss and despite the desperation I can feel, he is holding himself in not to slip his tongue inside my mouth. ‘I love you, darling,’ he mumbles against my mouth. ‘And I sure hope that we never see this idiot ever again.’

‘I think you took care of that.’ I look at Wesley, who pushes himself up and walks away, without looking over his shoulder once.

‘You are truly Superman, daddy,’ Vanessa says with a smile. ‘We are really tough, aren’t we?’

‘We are, sunshine.’ He presses a kiss on her cheek. ‘We promised grandma Marianne we would go to her after meeting Wesley. How about we bring something sweet to her place?’

‘Like what?’ Vanessa asks.

‘I was thinking some cake, you agree?’

‘Yes, I agree!’

≫≫≪≪

> **The Cavill and Tran family groupchat**

**Piers:** I already told you guys, but I am proud that you told that idiot off and please tell me what Vanessa wants. I want to buy her a present for being such a total bad ass.

 **Charlie:** I swear, if I ever run into him, I’m going to throw him accidentally in front of the bus. What a fucking idiot.

 **Mom:** Charlie!

 **Charlie:** What? You said the exact same thing!

 **Mom:** But with you, I never know if you mean it. I don’t want any of my kids in jail, even if I agree with your actions.

 **Dad:** I’ll do it then. I’m old anyways. I have nothing to lose.

 **Mom:** Colin!

 **Niki:** Yeah, you go dad. You go throw that fucking moron in front of the bus.

 **Henry:** I support you, dad.

 **Olivia:** Not to be that kind of person, but I’d rather you spend time with Vanessa than in jail. Please leave the idiot alone.

 **Mom:** Finally some common sense in this group chat. I’m glad we added you, Olivia, because it can be hard being a woman alone with these guys.

 **Dad:** So I can’t throw him in front of the bus?

 **Olivia:** No, I’m sorry. I can tell you this though: resisting the urge to kill him, will get easier over time.

 **Henry:** I hope you are right, love.

 **Simon:** Not to be that guy, but Olivia, can you give me Belle’s number?


	14. Chapter 14

It took lots of planning, long conversations with Vanessa and some negotiations with Olivia, but Henry finally managed to arrange a weekend away with just Olivia. It will be hard for all of them, but they quite the good arrangement to get through this weekend. Vanessa is staying over at Henry’s parents, but all four of his brothers and Belle (who is dating Simon now for at least four weeks) are definitely going to visit her. Vanessa will also FaceTime with them every morning during breakfast and every night before she goes to bed.

Henry understands that this might be a very difficult time for Vanessa and Olivia, but he knows that with these arrangements, it’ll probably go well.

Since they met up with Wesley, time has been such a weird concept. In five weeks time, he talked to his lawyer and a long story short: Olivia and Henry will sign the adoption papers in seven weeks. Seven whole weeks, that’s almost two months before Vanessa will be officially his daughter.

_Can he wait that long?_

They finally arrived in their cottage and since it’s around seven (and Vanessa is most likely to go to bed in half an hour), Olivia already pulls out her phone, so she can FaceTime with Vanessa. She walks around the living room after a short tour of the cottage. ‘And on Sunday night, sweetheart,’ he hears her say, ‘your dad and I will be there and will be kissing you, okay?’

‘Okay, mommy.’

Henry stands behind his beautiful girlfriend, wraps an arm around her waist and places his head on her shoulder. He sees that Vanessa is sitting on his mothers lap and the sight of his mom being the grandma she always wanted to be, makes him even happier than he already was. ‘You give grandma, grandpa and Kal a big kiss from us, okay?’

‘Yes, daddy, I will do that. I love you.’

‘We love you too,’ Olivia says. ‘Sleep tight, honey.’

‘You too.’ Vanessa blows them a kiss and they both pretend that they catch it, before blowing one back.

The call ends and Olivia lets out a sigh. ‘I miss her already,’ she whispers.

‘Oh sweetheart,’ he chuckles, turning her around, so he can give her a proper kiss. ‘Remember, if it’s too hard, you and I can always go back earlier. We’re only an hour away from my parents.’

She sadly smiles. ‘I’m so sorry, Henry. I’m being a big baby right now. I mean, I really want to be on this trip, it’s just that I’ve never been away from Vanessa this long and this far.’

Henry notices the tears building up in her eyes and he simply shakes his head. ‘Honey, you don’t have to apologize and you are certainly not a big baby.’ He can’t help but press another kiss on her lips. ‘Do you want to go back? We can do that, that’s absolutely no problem at all.’

She chuckles. ‘That’s not necessary, though it’s really sweet. What did I do to deserve such a loving boyfriend?’

He swoops up his girlfriend in his arms and carries her to the couch. He sits down, makes sure she is safely sitting on his lap and he feels her slender hands on his chest. ‘You are such a lovely mother,’ he says. ‘I’m so grateful that I have the privilege to be your boyfriend.’

Her lips are formed in a tightlipped smile. ‘Stop it.’

‘Tell me why.’

‘Because I’m going to cry.’

‘That’s all okay,’ he says with an adoring smile on his face. ‘I admire you so much. The way you love and take care of your, I mean our daughter. The way you love me, despite me having the tendency to overfeed my dog. The way you love my family. I’m so glad I get to start this whole adventure with you. But the most important thing to me is, that I want you to be happy and that also means that if you want to go home, no matter if it’s three in the morning or whenever, I will happily drive us back.’

‘Henry, you fucker,’ she sniffles, before she wraps her her arms around his neck and buries her face in his neck. ‘Why are you so sweet?’

She has been like this ever since they saw Wesley and it’s hard for him to witness. She has been irritable, a lot more emotional and she tosses and turns when in bed. He doesn’t understand why she is behaving this way, nor does Vanessa get it. She keeps telling him it’s nothing, but it’s definitely bothering her and when something bothers her, it bothers him.

At first he thought she was reconsidering the whole adopting thing, but when he brings that up, her smile gets so bright and it seems that—just like him—she can’t want for those seven weeks to be over.

‘Are you okay, my love?’ he asks, slowly pushing up the tank top underneath her sweater, so his hands can touch her soft skin.

‘I’m fine.’

No, you’re not, he thinks to himself. ‘You can talk to me about it, I hope you know that,’ he says.

Olivia pushes herself up a bit and he sees that she is frowning pretty deep. ‘Talk to you about what?’

‘About Wesley.’

She freezes. ‘Why would I want to talk about Wesley?’

‘Because, sweetheart, whether we like it or not, he is going to be a part of our lives forever. And this meeting we had a few weeks ago, I can see the change in you and I don’t want it to eat you alive.’

She bites her bottom lip, as she avoids eye contact with him. ‘Was he right?’ she asks.

 _No, that son of a bitch wasn’t right about anything._ ‘Was he right about what?’

Olivia sighs deeply. ‘Did I badmouth him behind his back? Should I have reached out to him before? Should I have given him a second chance?’

That asshole made more of an imprint on her than he figured out. ‘You did everything right, baby. Don’t let that idiot get into your head.’

She doesn’t respond and he hates that. He hates seeing her like this.

‘Listen to me,’ he says to her. ‘You did everything right. You didn’t badmouth him behind his back, you told Vanessa the truth about him. You shouldn’t have reached out to him nor give him a second chance, because he walked away when he had a chance to be a dad. In this whole scenario, Wesley is the biggest loser of us all and he will always be just that.’

She groans. ‘I shouldn’t be thinking like this, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why this is happening to me. I’m starting to doubt myself and my parenting skills. I hoped that I would never run into him, so I don’t feel this desperate need to explain myself.’

‘You don’t have to explain yourself,’ he says. ‘Ever. Not to him, not to me, not to anybody for that matter.’

She hides her face in her hands and she starts to cry. It breaks his heart to hear those loud cries, those painful cries, as if she is finally truly letting out her feelings.

‘Sweetheart,’ he tries to calm her down, ‘it’s all good.’

‘I’m so sorry, I have been totally acting like a moody and overly emotional bitch to both Vanessa and you,’ she cries out.

Henry hates that that asshole, though they totally told off the other day, is still making her feel this way. This idiot has too much influence on their lives, though it seems that Vanessa has long forgotten about him and he is thankful for that.

He pulls her against his chest and simply holds her, because he knows that there aren’t words right now that he can tell her. She needs to let all those feelings out and though it angers him to the bone that it’s because that piece of shit she is feeling like this and crying like this, this is all he can do at the moment.

He doesn’t know how long she cries, but finally he feels the tension slowly disappear out of her shoulders and she lets out a deep sigh. ‘Thank you,’ she mumbles. ‘I think I needed that.’

He can’t help but let out a chuckle. ‘I think you did too.’

She pushes herself a bit up and gives him a small smile. ‘I’m so in love with you, mister Cavill and thank you for doing this.’

‘For doing what?’

‘Just holding me. It was exactly what I needed.’

He places his hands on her warm and wet cheeks and kisses her nose. ‘How about you and I get to bed? You are tired and I need you top fit tomorrow.’

‘For what?’

‘Dirty grown up stuff,’ he chuckles, before he stands up from the couch and carries her upstairs.

Olivia simply rolls her eyes, but he hears a soft chuckle leaving her lips. When he walks into the room, he helps her to get undress. He peels off her shirt and her sweatpants and every time another one of her tattoos is revealed, he can’t help but press a kiss on them. ‘You are my everything,’ he whispers to her, as he unclasps her bra and pushes down her underwear. ‘Get in bed, my love.’

She quickly gets underneath the covers, but he notices how she is staring at him, as he strips out of his own clothes. He quickly gets in the bed, the second his boxers hit the floor. He pulls her naked body against his. He usually slept naked, but ever since he made it a habit of sleeping at Olivia’s nowadays and Vanessa keeps visiting them in the middle of the night, he sleeps his boxers and shirt.

However, feeling her naked body against his, he can’t help but let out a content sigh. She climbs on top of him and buries her head in his neck. ‘I love you.’

Henry smiles. ‘I love you too, love.’

≫≫≪≪

The next morning, Olivia woke him up with her godly lips on his cheek, his jawline and in his neck. They spend around thirty minutes making out like teenagers, before Henry made sure that she was well taken care of. He loves making love with her, but when he buried his fingers in her thick hair and pulled her head a bit to the side, so he’d expose her neck, he knew that this weekend would be filled with sex, maybe a bit rougher than usual and he wasn’t complaining or anything.

They took a long shower and after that, he’d make her breakfast, while the two of them were FaceTiming Vanessa, who got through her night just fine between Marianne and Colin.

During their long walk (which feels different because Kal is not there) they talk about the adoption and all the things they are going to do as a family together. Henry loves spending time with her and just her, because he feels like he gets to know her even better, on even a deeper level. He was already madly in love with her, but his love for her grows with ever second.

He gets to know more about her family that dropped her and she shows him some pictures of her younger self. She was absolutely adorable and Vanessa looks just like her.

‘So,’ he says, as he walks back into the living room with two cups of coffee in his hands, ‘your parents raised the cutest, most adorable little girl they could possibly get, and they simply drop you when you need them the most?’

She shrugs. ‘Apparently.’

He scoffs. ‘Fucking ridiculous. Here you go, love.’ He hands her her cup of coffee and sits next to her on the couch. ‘We should talk about nicer things.’

‘We do,’ Olivia smiles.

‘Tell me, sweetheart, how many kids do you want?’

‘With you or in general?’

He fake gasps, before he looks to the side, to see her chuckling, a lovely dimple appearing a little bit below her eye, a unique place to have a dimple when you laugh and he adores the fact that Vanessa has the exact same simple when she laughs. ‘With me, you minx.’

She shrugs. ‘How many would you like?’

‘I always wanted like a really big family,’ he admits. ‘With at least five kids.’

‘At least five?’ Olivia yells. ‘Henry, why would you do that to me? Don’t you love me? Your mom showed me the pictures of you Cavill boys as babies and I don’t know how she survived!’

His laughter fills the living room. ‘I won’t do that to you, sweetheart. I mean, you are doing the hard work.’

Olivia chuckles. ‘I don’t want to push out at least four more kids, so you can have your own Cavill Clan. I think two more is my maximum. But, I don’t want them back to back or anything. It took me at least two years before I sort of felt the same after my pregnancy with Vanessa.’

‘We’ll take as much as time as we need,’ he says, pressing a loving kiss on her cheek.

‘What is the reason you want a family so bad?’ she asks. ‘Charlie and Piers mentioned a few times that they all want a family, but in the last few years you have been the most desperate for it.’

Leave it to his brothers to embarrass him behind his back. ‘It’s weird,’ he mumbles.

‘Please, I want to know.’

‘I always dreamed of having a wife and kids, but the dreams started to become more realistic. After that horrible movie I did, I had no one to fall back on. I mean, I had my own family, but it took me awhile before I could face them. The thing is I realized that I hadn’t created a little family of my own, a safe haven, a whole mini family where I could lean back on. Someone that I would share the most beautiful thing with. After that movie, I simply wanted to go home, be engulfed in hugs and kisses by a wife and kids.’

She nods. ‘But what is so amazing about the prospect of kids?’ she asks. ‘I never quite knew for sure if I wanted them, because I thought they were dirty and weird.’

He can’t help but laugh. ‘It’s the process of seeing them grow and loving them unconditionally. What you have with Vanessa basically.’

‘You are the kindest man on earth,’ she admits. ‘And remember: you can always lean back on me and Vanessa and whoever comes along. No matter how shitty your movie is, we will be proud of you.’

It’s weird, he thinks to himself. He never knew how much he needed to hear this from someone else than his mother. ‘That’s something nice to look forward to.’

‘You want sons or daughters?’ Olivia asks.

‘I don’t mind, as long as they’re happy and healthy and ours.’

Olivia rolls her eyes. ‘Oh, you boring idiot,’ she chuckles. ‘Come on, I know that even if we had the opposite of what you say you want, you would love them unconditionally. So please, sweetheart, tell me.’

She knows exactly how to persuade him. ‘I would love to have sons,’ he admits, ‘but something about an entire household with just girls, is a dream.’

‘Really?’ she chuckles. ‘You would like an entire house filled with girls?’ He loves it when she laughs like that. ‘Poor you when we’re all on our period.’

He laughs. ‘It’s a situation that I can totally handle, my love.’

As they drink their coffee, she pulls out her phone to give to Henry, since he wants to see more pictures of her and Vanessa. Normally he checks a few of them when they are in bed, but Vanessa walks in and they cuddle with her. But now he has the time to stare at every single one of them. He goes back in time, seeing Vanessa change from seven year old, to see her as a chubby four year old, to a newborn.

Henry smiles as he stares at the pictures. They always look so happy and content when they are together and sometimes he fears that he is interfering in their relationship, only for Olivia to say that he is the only man that she would share her lovely daughter with.

He stares at Vanessa’s chubby cheeks when she was two years old. He hears her giggles when he presses play. ‘Vanessa, what does a cow say?’ a twenty five year old Olivia asks the little girl on her lap.

Vanessa frowns, as she stares right into the camera. ‘Meow.’

Olivia laughs. ‘No, baby, a cat says meow. What does a cow say?’

‘Meow!’ She claps her little hands and bounces up her lap. ‘Meow, meow, meow.’

Henry swipes back even further and sees pictures of Vanessa after she was just born. He figured that Belle made these pictures. He sees, even through the pictures, how tired Olivia was and he can’t help but turn a little bit emotional. She had to figure this whole thing out all on her own and that makes him angry, as well as sad. She did not deserve that. She deserved to be loved and to be taken care of.

‘Yo Olivia,’ he hears Belle say from behind the camera, ‘how are you feeling?’

‘I swear to God, if you don’t stop filming me, I’m going to kill you.’

Olivia sits up in bed, looking insanely tired. She holds a little bundle wrapped up in blankets and when Belle starts to film a just born Vanessa, Henry hears her sniffles. ‘She is so beautiful.’

He hears Belle giving her a kiss. ‘I know, sweetheart and you did it. I’m so proud of you.’

‘Did it hurt?’ Henry asks.

Olivia slaps him across his chest. ‘Of course it hurt,’ she chuckles. ‘It’s giving birth, not going to a spa.’

‘Stupid question.’ He watches her place her empty cup on the coffee table and he holds her hand tightly in his hand. ‘You sure you want to go through that again?’

She nods. ‘I do, because this time I’m with you. I mean, I have shown the world that I can do this all by myself, I sure can do it with the love of my life right next to me.’

‘What was it like when you found out that you were pregnant with a girl?’ he asks. He loves that they have the time now to talk about this. No hurrying up to pick up Vanessa from school, to walk Kal or to be ringed back to the clinic. Just the two of them.

‘It was unbelievable,’ she admits. ‘Belle and I went together to the ultrasound appointment, like she did with ever appointment. She thought I was pregnant with a boy, I thought a girl. Either way, it didn’t matter to me. But when the doctor said I was pregnant with a girl, I cried for hours on end. It was a good things anyways, because I could only think of girls names.’

He snickers. ‘You had more names?’

She nods. ‘I always wanted to call my daughter either Vanessa or Chloe. But when I saw my baby right after she was born, I knew she was a Vanessa.’

‘That’s beautiful,’ he says, bring her hand to his lips, to press a kiss on her knuckles.

‘Well mister _I want a family so badly_ , have you thought about names yet?’

‘For a boy I always thought Duncan was nice and for a girl Heather.’

Olivia nods in approval. ‘Heather and Duncan… You know what you are doing, mister Cavill.’

‘I certainly do,’ he laughs. ‘I have one more question.’

‘I am happy to answer it.’

‘Do you want Vanessa to change her last name?’ It’s something that kept him busy for so long already, but he didn’t had the guts to ask it. He still doesn’t know why, maybe because her last name is something so personal and meaningful, especially for Vanessa as she always introduces herself as Vanessa Tran.

Olivia takes a deep breath. ‘I was hoping we could add your last name to mine. So she becomes Vanessa Tran-Cavill.’

Henry nods, because this sounds perfect. ‘You want that for all our kids?’

‘I do,’ she says. ‘Because it’s also how I want it for me when one day we get married. Olivia Tran-Cavill.’

One day when they get married! She wants to marry him, that’s unbelievable. Good thing he desperately wants to marry her too.

‘I’m sorry, but my last name is really important to me and I want our kids to have it too.’

‘I totally understand, sweetheart,’ he says. ‘Your last name means a lot to me too.’ He kisses her cheek. ‘I can’t wait for you to be pregnant,’ he admits. ‘I think that it would continue to make our lives a little bit better.’

‘It would,’ she chuckles. ‘But not yet, honey. I don’t feel like we should get pregnant now.’

‘I know, I know, but we can get some practice in.’ Henry wiggles his eyebrows and she rolls her eyes.

‘You mean now?’ she asks.

He nods. ‘Right here, right now, baby.’

≫≫≪≪

‘And auntie Belle farted,’ Vanessa chuckles. She managed to get through the day without a hitch and when they are all on FaceTime, she seems happy and not at all sad and for them it’s the most important thing. Henry holds his phone in his hands, as Olivia sits next to him on the couch.

‘I did not,’ Belle says, coming into frame. From the look of her face and the blush on her cheeks, it’s obvious she is lying. ‘It was the chair.’

Off camera Charlie adds: ‘It was you. Simon, tell your girlfriend her farts smell.’

Olivia chuckles next to Henry before she says: ‘Belle’s farts do indeed smell.’

Vanessa squeals in happiness because her mom agrees with her. ‘They do, they do, they do.’

‘I hate you, Olivia,’ Belle says into the camera. ‘I let out one fart around you and you never drop it. I never complained about your millions of farts.’

‘That was because I was pregnant. You can never blame a pregnant woman for her farts.’

Charlie and Simon start to chuckle and Simon says: ‘The lady has a point.’

‘Simon!’ Belle hisses. ‘You are my boyfriend, you should agree with me.’

Vanessa grabs the phone from Belle. ‘I miss you a lot, mommy.’

‘I miss you too, baby,’ Olivia says. ‘But tomorrow when you’re about to get in bed, dad and I will be back.’

She nods. ‘Good, because I miss daddy too.’

‘Oh, sunshine, you are also greatly missed here.’ He smiles in the camera and Vanessa smiles back. ‘Don’t make too much fun of your auntie Belle, okay?’

‘Listen to your dad,’ Belle says.

Henry can’t help but laugh. ‘If you think her farts smell bad, you should stay far away from uncle Piers then.’

‘Oh yes,’ Charlie laughs. ‘I can compare and little princess,’—he walks up to her, lifting her up in his arms—‘and his farts smell a lot worse than Belle’s. In comparison to Piers’, hers smell like flowers.’

Vanessa scrunches up her nose. ‘But hers smelled really bad.’

‘Watch it,’ Belle says in a stern voice.

‘Imagine uncle Piers’ farts.’

Olivia and Henry laugh as they watch Vanessa pretending to throw up. ‘You know whose farts smell?’ she adds. ‘Kal’s farts smell really bad.’

‘Agree,’ Henry adds.

‘Mommy, do daddy’s farts smell?’

Olivia looks to the side. ‘They don’t actually.’

Vanessa nods. ‘Mommy’s farts don’t smell either.’

‘Oh, wait a minute,’ Belle says, standing next to Charlie and Vanessa. ‘You, sweetie pie, have never smelled her farts when she was pregnant.’

‘You cannot blame a pregnant woman for her farts,’ Olivia says again. ‘Because, Vanessa, when you were growing in my stomach, you kind of move around the organs there a bit and your entire body is changing, so your farts smell different.’

‘Yeah, auntie Belle,’ Vanessa says. ‘Don’t you blame my mommy.’

Belle starts to laugh, before she pretends to pout. ‘Simon, they are being mean to me,’ she fake cries, before walking over to him.

Vanessa tells them she loves them, that they should have sweet dreams, before she hurries over to Belle, to give her a kiss. Charlie looks into the camera and adds: ‘She is doing fine, don’t you worry now.’

‘I wasn’t worried,’ Olivia says. ‘I trust you completely.’

‘I know you weren’t,’ Charlie laughs. ‘But, look at your man, Olivia. See you guys tomorrow.’

He hangs up and when Olivia looks to the side, she gasps. ‘Are you crying, baby?’ she asks, wrapping her arms around him.

Henry isn’t necessarily crying, but he does feel emotional. A tear slips out of his eye and he whispers: ‘I just miss her a lot and seeing her get along with my family, is such a blessing.’

‘If you want to go home, we can go home,’ Olivia says with a smile. ‘And I mean it.’


	15. Chapter 15

‘Okay, sunshine,’ Henry says, after he scooped up Vanessa up in his arms. She has grown a bit since the beginnings of this year and he notices that she is slowly catching up with her mother. He always thought that she was really tiny for a kid who is almost seven, barely reaching up to her mom’s hip, but now she is slowly moving up to Olivia’s waist.

He walks toward the big poster on the wall. Vanessa and Olivia made that, when he was at the gym yesterday. Olivia wanted something where Vanessa could see how many days until Henry would officially adopt Vanessa. She wanted to make it for her daughter, but Henry notices that he is maybe the one that loves this poster the most. ‘Can you tell me how many days until you are officially my daughter?’

Vanessa wraps her arms around his neck and says to him: ‘Ten days. I can’t wait for those days to be over.’

That last comment alone, makes his heart melt. ‘Me neither,’ Henry admits, bumping his nose against her cheek, causing her to chuckle. Ever since they arrived back from their trip, Vanessa seemed like she had grown up a bit more. He thinks the time spend apart from Olivia was good for her. Not that he is going to force Vanessa to sleepover at his parents every weekend, but it sure eases his mind that he can always rely on his parents and brothers and that Vanessa doesn’t mind.

He hears a plate shatter in the kitchen. With Vanessa still on his arm, he walks towards the kitchen, to see Olivia staring hopelessly at the shards. From the looks of it, she hasn’t placed any of the bacon or eggs on it, so that’s a win. ‘Love, are you alright?’ he asks.

Olivia rubs her face. ‘It just slipped out of my hands,’ she says, her voice trembling a bit. ‘Just stay there, I’ll clean it up.’

Henry frowns. He is aware that she hasn’t been sleeping well these past few days, but when he looks at her, he sees that the fatigue is now really catching up with her. ‘Sweetheart, let me take care of it.’

‘Yeah, mommy,’ Vanessa says. ‘You are not wearing shoes and whenever I drop something of glass and I’m not wearing shoes, you carry me to the couch, so I don’t get shards in my feet.’

Olivia sighs. ‘I can clean it up,’ she mumbles, but that doesn’t convince no one, not even herself.

‘Vanessa, sunshine, you go sit on the couch with Kal and wait for mommy, okay?’ Henry says.

The little girl nods and ushers Kal with her, so they can both sit on the couch. Henry carefully walks over to her and lifts her up in his arms. As he steps over the shards of the plate, he whispers: ‘I love you.’ He feels like she needs to hear it.

‘I love you too.’

He gives her a big kiss, before he helps her on her feet again. ‘Go sit with Vanessa, I’ll finish up breakfast.’

Olivia simply nods and when she plops on the couch, she pulls Vanessa on her lap. Her daughter can’t stop smiling, because she is always happy to cuddle with her mom, so she doesn’t mind at all.

Henry however is still worries about her.

He vacuums up the shards, after he picked up the biggest one and places everything on one big plate, so they can all—expect for Kal of course—eat of it.

‘Mommy,’ he hears Vanessa ask, as he walks up to them. ‘Are you tired?’

‘I am,’ Olivia admits and Henry sits next to them. Vanessa takes a piece of bacon in her hands and bites something off of it. ‘I haven’t really slept well in these past few days.’

‘You want to sleep with my bear tonight?’ Vanessa asks. ‘He always helps me to fall asleep.’

Henry watches closely, to see what kind of reaction she’ll have. And then she lets out a sob.

‘Mommy, don’t cry,’ Vanessa says, shoving the piece of bacon in her mouth and while she is chewing loudly, she wraps her arms around Olivia, who buries her face in the soft hairs of Vanessa.

‘I don’t know why I’m crying,’ Olivia admits in a hoarse tone, before she softly cries.

Henry places the plate on the coffee table, forbids Kal to even look at it and wraps an arm around her shoulders. He doesn’t know what to say to her. It kills him to see his beautiful girlfriend like this. The permanent tears in her eyes finally running over her cheeks and he knows that this is not only bothering him, but also Vanessa.

It’s funny actually, come to think of it, that the mood in the household, is always according to how Olivia feels, which is an indication on its own that Olivia is the most important factor. He shouldn’t be this surprised, since this was also the case back when he grew up. Was his mom annoyed, angry or a bit depressed, the entire household morphed into her mood. If a certain mood would hit his dad, no one seemed to act like him.

Olivia takes a deep breath and announces that she is going to take a shower. She gives Vanessa not one, not two, but five kisses, before she places her daughter on his lap. The two of them watch Olivia walk out of the living room, up the stairs. The second they hear the shower run, Vanessa asks: ‘Why is she like this?’

‘I don’t know, sunshine.’

‘Is it something I did?’

At this point, he doesn’t even know anymore. ‘I have no idea, sweetheart. I don’t think so.’

‘Is it something you did?’

He shrugs.

Vanessa places her head against his. ‘Maybe she doesn’t want you to adopt me anymore.’

Henry isn’t necessarily sure if this thinking in doom scenario’s is a quality he wants for his daughter. ‘I sure hope that is not the case. Maybe your mom just has one of those days where you don’t feel too good. That can happen you know.’ Is he saying this to comfort himself or Vanessa? ‘I think when we are at grandma and grandpa’s place, she’ll feel better.’

‘I hope so,’ Vanessa sighs. ‘I don’t like it when she is like this. That makes me sad.’

He presses a kiss on her temple. ‘Yes, sunshine, that makes me sad too.’

≫≫≪≪

Olivia’s mood is a bit lighter already when Henry stops the car and they get out to walk to the Cavill residence. Henry sends Vanessa a wink, who seems to notice the difference too. She carefully grabs her mom’s hand as they walk towards his parents’ place.

Olivia looks at Vanessa and smiles. ‘What’s wrong, sweetheart?’ she asks, when Vanessa won’t stop looking at her.

‘Are you okay?’ Vanessa asks.

They stop walking at the beginnings of the path and Olivia crouches down. ‘I was acting a bit weird this morning, wasn’t I?’

Vanessa agrees. ‘I don’t like it when you are like that.’

‘I don’t like it when I’m like that either,’ Olivia says. ‘I’m really sorry. Sometimes you feel like this and you haven’t got a clue why. That happened to me this morning.’ She wraps her arms around Vanessa’s waist, who is more than happy to hug her back. ‘I’m so sorry, sweetheart.’

‘It’s okay, mommy. It can happen to anyone.’ Vanessa gives her mom a kiss, before she rushes towards the door with Kal.

Henry holds out his hand for Olivia to take and he pulls her up.

‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia says to him.

He simply shakes his head. ‘Don’t feel sorry.’ He pulls her into a tight hug and kisses her forehead. ‘Are you sure though everything is fine?’

‘I am,’ she says, nodding in the process. She stands on her tippy toes, so she can give him a kiss. He hums against her lips, because he missed this.

‘Disgusting people at the end of the path,’ Piers yells, causing them to look up. He leans against the doorframe and says: ‘There are single people around here, who really don’t need to see that.’

Henry chuckles, taking ahold of Olivia’s hand as they walk together to the house. He always likes it when he can bring the two most important people to his parents’ place. Vanessa feels so at home here and ever since Belle started to date his brother Simon, she’s here a lot and it’s nice to see Olivia being so happy to see her friend here.

The Cavill family is slowly but surely expanding and he is not complaining at all. This is what his mother wanted and he is happy to help out.

‘Is Olivia okay?’ his mom asks, about an hour after they arrived. Everyone is spread around over the house.

Belle and Olivia are talking in the corner of the room, as they stare at pictures, Simon, Niki and Charlie are gaming and his dad and Piers are the victims of Vanessa’s make-up kit.

‘She just has one of those days. It was worse this morning, but she is better now.’ Henry wraps his arm around his mom’s shoulders. ‘Ten days until the adoption,’ he says, not wanting to talk about Olivia’s behavior anymore, since he can’t seem to wrap his own mind around the issue. ‘I can’t wait anymore.’

‘Oh honey, it’s practically the only thing your dad and I can ever discuss nowadays. We are so happy that it’s going to be official.’ Mom pats him on his chest. ‘I always knew that you would make an excellent dad,’ she admits. ‘And you are doing such a good job.’

‘Thanks mom.’ He rubs his face and clears his throat. ‘They are the best that could ever happen to me.’

‘Thank God for you overfeeding your fat dog, otherwise you would’ve never met Olivia.’

‘Mom, he finally has reached a healthy weight,’ he defends himself. ‘Don’t call him fat anymore.’

‘Just messing with you, my dear.’

Since it’s April, they go outside. His brothers, Henry himself and Vanessa are running over the grass with a ball. His parents, Belle and Olivia are sitting on the porch drinking tea, but even from here, Henry notices Olivia’s mind is somewhere else.

When Vanessa trips, all the Cavill men gasp and are ready to lift her up again. Like the real trooper she is, she stands up and looks at them with a frown. ‘I can get up myself. I don’t need help for that. I’m not a baby anymore.’

Belle applauses from the side and yells: ‘Yeah girl, you tell them that. You don’t need no man!’

‘See?’ Vanessa asks with a sassy tone, causing them to laugh. She kicks away the ball, but then looks at her mom, who seems to simply stare at her shoes and didn’t notice what just happened. It’s obvious that Vanessa seeks much approval from her mom, who is the best role model she could’ve imagined. Her heart is broken and that breaks Henry’s heart. He knows that it’s not Olivia’s intention to hurt her daughter.

‘Sunshine,’ Henry says, crouching down in front of her, placing his hand on her back, hoping that it brings a bit of comfort.

‘She didn’t hear,’ she mumbles, obviously distraught.

‘I know, but we’ll tell mommy about it when we are back home, okay?’

Vanessa sighs, but nods anyways. ‘Yeah, you are right.’

They watch as Olivia excuses herself and she walks inside. He stares at his beautiful girlfriend and he leans over to Vanessa. ‘How about I talk to mommy right now?’

‘Could you do that?’ Vanessa asks, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes.

‘Of course, because I’m a bit worried about her too.’ He gives her a quick peck, jokingly pulls her pigtail, causing her to giggle and he walks inside. Henry can’t seem to find her right away, but then he hears the flushing sound of the toilet. He recognizes the door opening with the well-known creak, something that hasn’t changed in all those years and Olivia’s footsteps.

She yelps when she notices him. ‘Oh shit,’ she says, looking paler then before.

‘Are you okay?’ he asks. He doesn’t even try to hide his worries anymore, because she should know how he feels.

‘I’m fine,’ she says.

He doesn’t believe her and he walks up to her. He holds her tiny hands in his and wants to lean in, giving her a quick kiss, but she pulls back.

_She never pulls back._

‘Don’t, sweetheart, I’m disgusting.’

He truly needs to check what’s wrong with her, because this is an upright lie. ‘You are never disgusting.’

‘I just puked,’ she groans.

‘Are you sure you okay? You think you got a stomach ache?’

Olivia sighs deeply. ‘Henry,’ she says, ‘you know I love you right?’

This is giving him a minor heart attack and he squeezes her hands. ‘Is this a break up?’

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. ‘No, no, no, of course not sweetheart. I have something to say to you, but first I need you to know that I love you.’

That is slightly easing his mind. ‘What do you think, sweetheart?’ he chuckles. ‘Of course I know that you love me and please know that I love you a lot.’ He leans in and gives her a kiss on her nose. ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’

‘Henry,’ she whispers, ‘I think I might be pregnant.’


	16. Chapter 16

I had been feeling a bit weird for a week now. Ever since Henry and I got back from our little getaway, I felt pretty nauseous, but I have that from time to time, so I didn’t think anything of it. Things started to get a whole lot worse, when I went back to work. I nearly vomited all over multiple dogs, because of the smell of their disgusting anal glands. Normally they don’t bother me that much. The smell isn’t my favorite of course (and I wouldn’t make a perfume out of it), but nearly vomiting because of it, that has never happened before.

I became more and more tired and my breasts start to hurt a lot more, but yet again, I didn’t suspect anything. It was until I was laying down on the couch, while Vanessa was doing groceries with Henry. Kal plopped next to me on the couch and placed his head protectively on my stomach.

And that’s when I was starting to suspect something.

I could be pregnant.

And basically this was all my fault. While I had been constantly pressing about how we are not ready to add another baby to our family yet, I hadn’t been consisted with my birth control and never once urged Henry to wear a condom.

In these four days I have been acting like a total zombie (and knew damn well why, though I claimed otherwise), I kept beating myself up about it and the longer I kept quiet about it, the more I hated myself.

I mean, Wesley ran away, so why would this time be any different? Henry could always decide that this isn’t what he wanted. Men are pigs, they have proven me that, but I was absolutely blindsided by Henry and his love, that I might have missed some signs.

After I dropped the “I think I might be pregnant”-bomb on Henry, he hasn’t said anything. He keeps on staring at me and I have no clue what he is thinking. Is he anger? Is he sad? Is he disappointed?

‘You think you are pregnant,’ he finally manages to say. ‘How are you not sure?’

Okay, he hasn’t lost his ability to communicate, that is a good sign right? ‘I haven’t taken the test yet.’

He nods and simply stares at me. Why is that making me uncomfortable? He needs to say something!

‘I have been pretty tired,’ I whisper, ‘and nauseous and my breasts hurt. Then Kal placed his head on my stomach, in a way he never did.’ I let out a shaky sigh and add: ‘And also, I have been pretty inconsistent with my birth control and we have been having a lot of… You know, we engaged in tons of unsafe bedroom activities.’

He is still not saying anything.

‘Henry, please, just say something to me.’ Tears burn in my eyes, while my doubts turn into realities. He doesn’t want me, nor Vanessa, nor this possible baby. ‘You know, I should go, I’m really sorry.’

‘Why are you apologizing?’ he asks, stopping me in my tracks with his words.

Now I don’t know what to say. ‘Why shouldn’t I be apologizing?’

‘This is what we wanted, right?’

_Is he serious?_

Come to think of it, of course he is serious. I mean, I feel like that man was totally ready to get me pregnant the second I agreed to having a kid with him in the future.

_I really shouldn’t have underestimated him._

‘Sweetheart,’ he whispers, ‘you shouldn’t feel guilty about not being consisted with your birth control. Besides it takes two people to get pregnant and we don’t even know for sure yet, do we now?’

I shake my head, because he is right. It does take two people to get pregnant.

‘You haven’t taken a test yet and since you haven’t been taking your birth control steadily, isn’t it possible that you can get your period any minute now?’

‘Henry, it’s been six to seven weeks since I last had my period.’

He blinks. ‘Oh.’

‘I’m so scared,’ I whisper in a hoarse tone, with a voice crack in the process. ‘I’m really scared.’

‘Why is that, sweetheart?’ He takes a step closer to me, his hands holding onto mine.

‘Because so much is going to change,’ I say. ‘And what if you leave?’

He shakes his head. ‘I get that you are scared,’ he says, ‘because so much is going to change, that is true. But you have to remember: I’m right here. I’m right here with you and I’m not leaving you. Sweetheart, I’m no Wesley, please remember that. I’m am currently no Wesley, nor will I ever lower myself to be him. I’m here for you to stay. Every step of this journey.’ He pulls me closer to him, before he wraps his strong arms around my waist. ‘The second you and I get home,’ he tells me, ‘I’m going to buy a test for you.’

My heart swells with nothing but love. How on earth could I have underestimated this man? This beautiful human, who has shown me nothing but love and compassion. I feel so stupid now for thinking that low of him. ‘I know this might be hard for you,’ I tell him, ‘but could you please not say anything to anyone?’

‘I’m going to try,’ he chuckles, his cheeks a little bit more pinkish than before, maybe from happiness or hold in tears. ‘It might be a challenge, but I’m going to try.’ Henry presses kisses in my neck and whispers: ‘I’m so happy, sweetheart. I can’t believe that this is truly happening. Not only will I be a dad to Vanessa, but to a possible other kid too.’

This is such a different reaction. I still have nightmares about the disgusted look on Wesley’s face when I told him I was pregnant for real. I only _think_ I’m pregnant now and Henry is ready to set up the entire nursery. ‘I love you so much, Henry. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I truly am.’

‘Oh sweetheart,’ he whispers, leaning back a bit, so he can look at me. ‘You don’t need to feel sorry, ever. I understand you were scared, especially with what that idiot Wesley did.’ He gives me a long kiss on my lips. ‘But remember, sweetheart, I love you more.’

≫≫≪≪

It feels good to have told Henry. I was pretty stupid for thinking that he would leave me for this. I mean, we are talking about Henry. _Henry Cavill._ During the rest of our visit at his parents house, he kept beaming with pride and everyone was wondering what the hell was going on inside his head. When we were a bit secluded from his family, he kept kissing me, touching me and I never felt more loved.

He kept his promise. The second we got home, he went out for some groceries, giving me time to cuddle up with Vanessa. We are on the couch as I spoon my little girl as we watch some television. When Vanessa was younger, I made these idiotic and unrealistic measurements: no television, no sweets. Now I turn on the television myself, because I want to know what Winnie the Pooh is about to do now.

But I do realize, that as soon as we add another baby into the mix, it’s all going to be different and what is happening here, will not happen again.

I think Vanessa would be a great big sister. I know she would. She keeps on telling me that she’ll be such a wonderful big sister and I believe her right away. Though I don’t like Bettie’s mom, Bettie herself is a pretty sweet kid and Vanessa is such a sweetheart to all of Bettie’s little siblings.

But I also know that taking care of another child is going to mean a little less attention for Vanessa. She has been my one and only for so long and she got so much attention from Henry since he came into our lives: how will she handle this?

What if she thinks that Henry and I are going to love the other baby more than we love her? I press pause on the remote control and nudge Vanessa. ‘Sweetheart, can you do something for mommy?’

‘Of course,’ she says.

‘Can you give me a hug?’

Vanessa’s eyes light up and she turns around, so she can cuddle up against me. ‘I always want to give you hugs, mommy.’ She has been really desperate for my attention today and I feel so bad for making her feel a little less important. Normally, I notice everything she does, but seeing her like this because I missed something important, that breaks my heart.

‘You know I love you right?’

‘I know,’ she says. ‘Daddy told me you were feeling a bit sick, so I know you can be a bit tired and grumpy. But that’s okay, I still love you too.’

Sometimes I wonder how I managed to raise a young girl that is so well spoken. In school she always scores at the top of communication skills. Now her work is sometimes lacking and she is easily bored and because she has such strong communication skills, she has to stand on the hallway a lot because of her foul mouth, but other than that, I’m so proud of her.

Parents are always impressed with the way she introduces herself, before she plays with their kids. I was often afraid that she wouldn’t be accepted by her friends, her peers, because she was a lot better in communicating, but the other kids didn’t mind. They actually start to look up to her.

She is such a strong little person and I’m so proud of her.

‘Yeah, but remember: no matter how grumpy, tired, annoyed of sad I am, I will always love you.’

‘I know,’ Vanessa says. She has a tendency to push her hand under my shirt and place it on my back and right now, it’s no different. ‘I can’t wait until daddy officially adopts me.’

‘I can’t wait either.’ I press a kiss on her forehead and sighs deeply, yet content. The door opens and Kal barks in excitement. Normally Vanessa would’ve jumped up to rush to Henry, but now she stays put.

Henry walks into the living room and smiles brightly when he sees us. ‘There are my two favorite girls,’ he says, placing the bag on the table. He pulls out some chocolate. I know what he wants to do, but we both decided that we would wait until Vanessa was in bed. Time does go by faster when there is chocolate involved and he knows it. ‘Is there room for one more?’ he asks.

‘Always,’ Vanessa says with a smile. ‘Dad, you go where I was laying, so I can cuddle on your chest.’

Henry chuckles and positions himself right next to me. Vanessa curls up on his broad upper body. ‘Who wants some chocolate?’ he asks.

Vanessa opens her mouth and when I see him feeding her a piece of chocolate, I think to myself how much he loves being a dad. The role of being a father suits him so much.

I know he is going to be there for me, for Vanessa and all the babies we’ll eventually have. I’m so lucky to have this, this family. I never knew I wanted to have a family with a husband, a dog and kids. I thought that I’d be with Vanessa, until she was old enough to go to college and I’d still be a vet, a little older than forty and have an empty nest.

But now I’m going to have it all. I’m going to have a man who I probably will marry one day. I’m going to have kids. A house. A dog.

‘Have you been sweet to your mom?’ he asks Vanessa.

‘I’m always sweet to my mom.’

‘I know you are,’ he chuckles. ‘What is the plan for tonight?’

I place my head on his shoulder and my hand on Vanessa’s back. ‘This little girl has to go to bed early, because she has school tomorrow.’

Vanessa pouts, but realizes that won’t work. ‘Okay,’ she mumbles, before she yawns. ‘But I’m not tired yet.’

Henry chuckles. ‘Well, I have an idea. How about you try to stay in your own bed for as long as you can tonight?’

‘But daddy, what if I get scared?’

He shakes his head. ‘I don’t think that will happen, because Kal can sleep in your room tonight and the nights after that.’

Normally we wouldn’t allow Kal to sleep in her bed, but I think this is a smart move from Henry. When we bring a new baby in the mix, we need to make sure that Vanessa is loved and cared for properly, because a new baby is going to take lots of our time. And this is something that she wanted for so long already.

‘Really?’ she asks. ‘Mommy, you think this is a good idea?’

‘I do,’ I say with a smile.

Vanessa jumps off Henry and rushes to Kal. ‘You can sleep in my bed tonight. I’m going to get ready!’ She sprints upstairs and Kal follows her, barking loud.

‘You, my love,’ I whisper to him, ‘are a very smart man.’

Within record time Vanessa and Kal are ready for a good sleep. We give them both a big kiss and leave on her night light. I smile as I stare at my sweet daughter, who is maybe becoming a big sister very soon.

Henry and I go back downstairs. ‘You ready to take the tests?

‘Tests?’ I repeat. I search through the grocery bag, only to discover that Henry bought eight tests. ‘Sweetheart, one was enough.’

He blushes. ‘I just want to make sure.’

I lean in, giving him a kiss, before I walk to the restroom. I somehow managed to pee on all three of them and I know we have to wait at least two minutes.

It’s weird seeing Henry this nervous. He paces around the living room and I tilt my head as I watch him take a few steps, turn around, take another few steps before turning again and repeating it. ‘How much longer?’

‘One more minute,’ I answer. ‘Sweetheart, come here.’ I sit on the table and pull him in a hug. ‘No matter what the outcome is, we’ll get through it.’

‘But if it’s negative,’ he whispers, ‘what are we going to do then?’

I can’t stop my smile. ‘That means we have to try a whole lot harder to get pregnant,’ I say.

His eyes light up and he chuckles nervously, as if he can’t believe what I just said. ‘Are you serious?’

‘I figure that we shouldn’t wait too long. I know I want you to be the father of my kids. I know you want a bigger family.’ I pull him in for a long kiss and whisper: ‘And I don’t want to wait any longer.’

‘Shit, Olivia,’ he whispers. ‘I love you so much, baby.’

‘I love you too.’

‘Time’s up?’

I look at the clock and nod. ‘Yes, time’s up. Ready?’

‘More than ready.’

We both look at all three of the tests and they are all positive. Holy shit, we are going to have a baby, I think to myself. Henry’s eyes are filled with tears, causing me to cry as well. ‘Oh my God,’ I whisper.

‘We’re going to have a baby,’ he says. ‘We are going to become, truly, the Cavill-Tran clan.’

‘Tran-Cavill clan, but okay.’

He rolls his eyes, before he pulls me in for the most intense kiss he has ever given me. ‘You bet your ass I’m going to take such good care of all of you,’ he whispers against my lips. ‘And I’m going to make sure you won’t ever ever regret having kids with me.’


	17. Chapter 17

Henry’s life is slowly but surely becoming what he originally wanted. He adopted Vanessa a few weeks ago and he never thought he could be so emotional. He cried while he had to sign the papers, he cried the entire way back to the car, to a point where Olivia decided it would be best if she drove back to his parents’ place. He sat in the back of the car, right next to Vanessa, who wasn’t crying, but went out of her way to comfort him. He was just so happy that it was official now.

If—God forbids—something happen to Olivia, Vanessa goes right to him. They don’t have to bother with that low life of a Wesley, she is going right to him. They even changed their will. If something happens to the both of them, Vanessa goes to his family.

But right now Olivia is officially thirteen weeks pregnant and it’s getting harder and harder now to hide her belly. Since she is out of her first trimester, she is been feeling a lot better. She told him that during her pregnancy with Vanessa, she puked quite a lot, but that was nothing compared to how she is feeling with this baby.

But right now, her glow is mesmerizing. She was always beautiful, but seeing her in her underwear before she trows on his shirt at night, he realizes that she is a whole different kind of breathtaking now. After she steps into the bed, he lays behind her, wraps his arm around her waist and sneaks a hand under her shirt. He loves feeling her tiny bump. It’s still beyond him that this is happening, that they’ve created an already beautiful human. He cannot wait to see the more definite changes of her body, the further she gets into this pregnancy.

It’s Friday and they are waiting for Vanessa to walk out of the school. Henry wraps his fingers around her hand and pulls Olivia closer to his body. The weather is getting nicer and nicer, making it even harder for her to hide her little bump. She opted for a pretty midi skirt with a large shirt over it, that doesn’t show anything yet.

Today they are not only going to tell Vanessa about the baby when they are at home, but they are going to tell his entire family, since they are having a little dinner at his mom’s. The school bell rings and it doesn’t take long, before Vanessa rushes out of the school. Thankfully she has adopted a new normal by jumping into Henry’s arms, instead of Olivia’s, like she used to do. She presses tons of kisses on his cheeks, before she leans down to give Olivia a kiss.

Keeping this a secret has been the hardest thing, especially since Henry wants to share this with everyone.

‘Ready to go home, sunshine?’ Henry asks her and she nods. While he carries her to the car, she keeps on talking about how wonderful school was. Though he doesn’t quite understand that she likes school this much (especially with the witch that calls herself miss Sue in front of the class), he likes her stories. He could listen to her for hours on end and not be bored for a second.

Henry helps his _official_ daughter in her carseat and while he drives back home, he holds Olivia’s hand. Once they are home, Olivia pulls Vanessa with her and the two of them sit on the couch.

He leans against the doorframe, wanting to see everything that is going to happen, but also allowing them to experience this. He might be officially Vanessa’s dad now, it’ll take a long time before they will have the bond that Vanessa has with her mother. Their bond is so tight, it’s mesmerizing. ‘Vanessa, sweetheart,’ Olivia says, ‘I have something to tell you.’

Vanessa looks at her mom with a frown between her brows. ‘Okay… What is it, mommy?’

Olivia takes Vanessa’s hand and places it onto her stomach. ‘Mommy is growing a baby in her stomach right now,’ she says in a soft voice. ‘And that means you are going to be a big sister.’

Henry had looked online on how to tell your kids that they are going to be a brother or sister. He saw all those sweet and funny videos online, with cakes, balloons and other stuff, but when he showed Olivia, she simply frowned and said that she just wants to tell Vanessa.

And now when he sees this moment happening in front of his eyes, he knows damn well that it shouldn’t happen any other way than this one.

Vanessa’s eyes light up, as her hand rests on Olivia’s bump. ‘I’m going to be a big sister?’ she asks, just in case.

‘Yes, sweetheart.’

And for the first time since he met Vanessa, she is crying happy tears. They drip over her cheeks, yet a smile is evident on her face. ‘I’m doing the happy tears thing,’ she sniffles.

‘Oh sweetie,’ Olivia says, a few tears in her eyes as well. She pulls her daughter closer to her body and presses kisses on her cheek. She ushers Henry over and he walks over to his two favorite girls.

He takes place on the other side of Olivia and looks at the two of them and he can’t hide his smile.

‘Daddy,’ Vanessa says, looking up, ‘I’m going to be a big sister.’

He wipes the tears from her face. ‘I know, sunshine. You are going to be a wonderful sister,’ he tells her.

She takes his hand from her face and places it on Olivia’s bump, just like her own. ‘Are we going to tell grandma, grandpa and everyone today?’

‘We are,’ Olivia says, stroking through the soft hairs of Vanessa.

‘We do have to tell you something,’ he says to Vanessa.

‘And what’s that?’

He clears his throat. He really wants to tell her this, because he thinks it’s important. He talked about this with Olivia and she agreed to it. ‘We love you so much and we always will, sunshine, but you have to know that a new baby is hard work. Both me and your mom will be pretty tired. There is also a chance that we will not have as much time for you as we usually have.’

Vanessa nods. ‘I know,’ she tells him. ‘Bettie’s mom is usually pretty tired too, when she is pregnant and when she just had a new baby. I can help around the house and otherwise, I can sleep at grandma’s place. I think she and grandpa want to babysit, so you can maybe sleep in.

How is he going to be an excellent father, if Olivia has managed to do this by herself? He is so lucky that this amazing woman is going to be the mother of their kids.

‘Then we have nothing to worry about,’ Olivia chuckles, kissing Vanessa’s cheek. ‘You are such an angel.’

Vanessa smiles. ‘So when is this baby going to be born? Bettie’s mom always knows, but she said something about a flu date?’

Olivia chuckles. ‘Due date, sweetheart. The doctor can guess a little bit. So the due date for this baby is the twenty first of November.’

‘That’s near my birthday.’ She smiles even brighter than before. ‘I kind of hope that the baby will be born on my birthday. That means we are going to have an even bigger party.’ Vanessa looks at Olivia’s stomach and asks: ‘When do we know if it’s a boy or girl?’

‘Somewhere in August,’ Henry says.

‘How can they know?’

Olivia gestures that she should stay put, as she walks over to her purse. ‘The doctors have a machine and what that one basically does is that it can make pictures from what’s inside my stomach.’

‘Oh,’ Vanessa says, ‘like the pictures daddy makes?’

Olivia chuckles. ‘Absolutely not.’ She plops back on the couch and shows Vanessa the picture of the ultrasound.

‘I don’t get it. There is nothing on here.’

Henry places his arm on the back of the couch and explains: ‘This little bean right here,’—he points to the same spot that the doctor showed him, because if he is being fair, he can’t see it—‘is your brother or sister and when we go back there in August, the baby is a little bigger. Right now he or she is as big as… what was it again, sweetheart?’

‘A lemon, so there isn’t much to see yet.’

Vanessa nods. ‘When you go to the doctor to see if I get a baby brother or sister, can I come with you?’

Olivia nods. ‘Of course you can,’ she says.

Vanessa leans down, pushes up her mom’s shirt, as she whispers against the tiny bump: ‘When you are older, you and I are going to eat chocolates at night, but don’t tell mommy and daddy, because I don’t think they’ll allow it.’

≫≫≪≪

Henry is insanely nervous for meeting his family. He knows that they will love it, he is absolutely sure of that. Though it doesn’t stop him from being nervous though. His family definitely knows how babies are made, but exposing the fact that they have been having sex and now she is pregnant…

He holds onto Olivia’s hand so tightly, that she has to whisper that he needs to chill, because he is hurting her.

And he never wants to do that of course.

Olivia came with the idea to involve Vanessa in the reveal to his family and he honestly couldn’t agree more. Vanessa was and will always be his first baby and she means the absolute world to him. The fact that she was already thinking about how she is going to be the best daughter in the world to them, how she is going to help not only her mom, but also himself out whenever she can, speaks volumes about how she is going to handle this big sister thing.

They walk around the house, to enter the garden and everyone seems to be totally happy that they have finally arrived. Vanessa continues to look at Olivia, waiting for the right moment. ‘Everybody,’ Olivia finally says. ‘Our little Vanessa has a little surprise.’

‘Little princess, what you got?’ Charlie says.

She unzips her vest and shows everyone her shirt. ‘I’m going to be a— Oh my God!’ Belle screams, running towards Olivia. The rest is further away from Vanessa, so they haven’t even read it yet, by the time Belle has pulled Olivia in a hug. ‘I’m so happy for you, babe.’

Henry watches as the rest of the family has yet to catch on, but his mother is the first to notice. She starts to tear up and Henry quickly walks over to her, to engulf her into a tight hug.

While his brothers and father are the first to congratulate Vanessa, giving her big hugs and saying how she is going to be such an amazing big sister, he hears his mother sniffle: ‘This is wonderful news, my dear.’

Since he officially adopted Vanessa, he realized that his mother was finally getting what she wanted. A big family, where she would be the grandma of the entire clan, a role that she had been wanting ever since his brothers and he reached the age of twenty. She never pushed them to get married and to have kids, but now she is finally getting the larger family she always wanted. It’s long overdue.

The fact that Olivia already had a wonderful daughter and him being really serious about having kids, made it easier for them to get pregnant, though it wasn’t necessarily planned. A couple like Simon and Belle are not even thinking about children. Well, they are, as in: we don’t want them right now.

After everyone gave him one hug, Vanessa at least two and Olivia a big hug and a kiss on her cheek, he can finally stand next to his beautiful girlfriend again. ‘Can I?’ he asks, letting his hand hover over her stomach.

‘You can always do that,’ she whispers, pressing a kiss on his jaw.

He gently places his hand on her tiny bump and she places her hand on top of his. ‘God, you are so amazing,’ he chuckles.

‘Don’t forget to give yourself credit, Henry,’ she says. ‘Remember, you are going to be a wonderful father, I just know it. You have already proven how much of an excellent dad you are with Vanessa.’

‘Can I take you with me for just a second?’ he asks, looking over at how Piers and Niki are showing off their football skills, though Vanessa doesn’t seem impressed at all.

Henry carefully pulls Olivia with him, until they are inside. He clears his throat and asks: ‘Should I share this with my fans?’ It has been a question that has been running through his thoughts for quite a while now.

Since he met Olivia, he posted pictures of course. After he first met her, he took a picture of Kal on the couch, looking a little sad and he wrote in the caption: **Thanks to the greatest veterinarian who did pick up at three in the morning, Kal is all okay now after he vomited over my new carpet, though I was informed that he was kinda fat, so I have to work on that.**

After that he posted pictures of Kal, of the Christmas tree and the cookies that he attempted to make for them. But he kept both of them out of the picture and since Valentines Day, he didn’t post anything.

Olivia smiles before she nods. ‘You can, as long as my face or Vanessa’s isn’t splattered on the news.’

Henry scoffs. ‘You think I’d allow that?’ He leans in to press a kiss on her forehead. ‘I just feel like I should tell them that we are expecting.’

‘You should tell the whole story,’ she tells him, grabbing his hands. ‘That you have a girlfriend, adopted Vanessa and that we are expecting.’

‘Are you sure?’ he asks. ‘I mean, I know that you two didn’t ask to be in the spotlights like that and I don’t want to force it on you.’

She pulls him closer and gives him a long kiss on his lips. ‘I am one hundred percent sure, sweetheart.’

≫≫≪≪

**girlygirlx2:** OH MY GOD?!?! THIS IS SO FUCKING UNEXPECTED!!!

 **kieralee:** sooooo, we are getting Dad!Henry content? because i’m up for it!!!!

 **julia5487:** hold up… he adopted someones kid and now they are having a kid on their own? wth happened?

 **muziarealm:** I really want to see the lucky ass lady who is giving him babies.

 **kittycat421:** OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME?!?!?!?!?!?!

 **ursula_9903:** HOLY CRAP!!!!!! congratulations are in order!!!


	18. Chapter 18

Being 25 weeks pregnant is no piece of cake and I forgot how much I dislike it, especially in this heat. I’m nothing but a sulking mess in front of the air conditioning. When I was pregnant with Vanessa, poor Belle didn’t know what hit her and every time I was in a grumpy mood (which was daily), she had to deal with that. Now Henry and Vanessa are in this together, but they somehow continue to be the sweetest. I have mad ass respect for them, because I know that I’m in no better mood than I was during my first pregnancy if not worse. This baby likes to play football with my bladder.

Today we are having an ultrasound that will determine the gender of the baby. We were supposed to find out three weeks ago, but since the power was out at the maternity clinic, we couldn’t use the ultrasound machine, only an old piece of crap, that did determine that the baby’s heart was okay.

Vanessa walks out of the kitchen with a big smile on her face. ‘Mommy, we have pancakes.’

‘That’s great, sweetheart,’ I say from the couch.

School starts in two weeks and though I love that girl with all my heart, I’m happy that she is going back to school again, so we can have a certain routine in place again. My maternity leave starts in a month and I can’t wait for that to start.

I try to get up from the couch, but I can only let out a huff. I mean, I could get up by myself, but it’ll cost me too much energy. ‘Sweetheart, could you get your dad for me, please?’

Vanessa chuckles, because she always likes it when her dad helps me out. He is setting an excellent example for her and I hope that it will be moments like these she’ll remember once she will date herself. ‘I will, wait here, mommy.’

She skips to the kitchen, while Kal places his head on my knee. ‘I know, baby,’ I say to him. ‘We have fifteen more weeks to go, until you have another baby sister.’

‘Does my lovely queen need a little help getting up?’ Henry asks, who walks into the living room with a big smile on his face. Ever since we found out I was pregnant, there was an instant switch in his behavior. He has always been sweet and thoughtful, but nowadays he shows what he has been doing the past months that I have known him, it was only twenty five percent of his love.

I can’t carry groceries anymore, I can’t clean up the house anymore, because of the chemicals and the hard work (something that you won’t hear me complain about and I really hope this continues after I give birth and years beyond) and he literally does anything I ask him to.

Around a week ago I was thinking out loud with Vanessa what kind of snack I wanted and he rushed to the kitchen to get it for me. When we are in bed, he cuddles up with me from behind and places his hand on my bump. Our bed is the only place where he doesn’t ask me permission for touching it, which on its own is adorable. Whenever we are out of the bedroom, meaning downstairs, at his parents, in the mall, you name it, he’ll hover his hand over my stomach, before he looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

Every single time.

He is so sweet and so loving and I can’t believe that I went from an asshole like Wesley to a lovely man like Henry.

I hold out my hands for Henry and he pulls me up, before pressing a kiss on my forehead. ‘My little grumpy lady,’ he chuckles.

I scoff. ‘I’m not grumpy,’ I retort.

‘You are, mommy.’ Vanessa grabs my hand and says: ‘But that’s okay. You are growing a baby in your belly.’

Vanessa has been nothing but understanding and I love her with my entire heart for it. However, though it’s true, I refuse to believe that I’m grumpy, because I feel like I was on my best behavior today. ‘When exactly was I grumpy?’

‘This morning,’ she answers. ‘You yelled at daddy for giving you tap water instead of the one from the bottle. You stomped your feet when you found out he ate the last cookie. You cried when you saw that he gave you the wrong socks.’

‘Oh,’ I mumble, already forgotten that I actually done all of that this morning. Oh poor Henry. ‘I have been mean to daddy quite a bit, haven’t I?’

She nods.

‘Have I been mean to you?’

Thankfully she shakes her head, though I feel like she only says that to spare my feelings.

‘Good,’ I chuckle. ‘Do you think I should apologize to dad?’

‘You should, but remember, he will always love you.’

That shouldn’t make you cry, Olivia, so please don’t do that! I look up to my handsome and loving boyfriend Henry and say: ‘I’m sorry.’

He starts to laugh, before he shakes his head. ‘That’s okay, my love. You can’t help it.’

We walk to the dining room and once we’re seated, we start to eat the pancakes and they are really good. ‘Are you guys ready for today?’ I ask them.

Vanessa starts to nod. ‘I am. I really want a sister.’

‘You do?’ Henry asks. ‘And when we find out it’s a boy, what are you going to do then?’

Though Henry pretends he doesn’t understand parenting and is in awe with how I raise Vanessa, he caught on so quickly, asking her those deep questions. He tells me that we should raise all our future kids just like this, causing me to reassure him that we are definitely doing that to an extent, because I have a feeling that I found the perfect parenting style for me. Again to an extent again.

‘I’ll love him no matter what,’ Vanessa answers. ‘It’s just that I get girls better.’ That’s so deep. ‘Boys in my class are dirty.’

I snort. ‘Boys are dirty, I totally agree.’

‘Excuse me?’ Henry says, with a raised eyebrow. ‘I’m a boy and am I dirty?’

‘I was going to add that all boys are dirty, except for the Cavill guys, had you let me finish.’

He smiles, holding my hand on the table. ‘That’s better.’

Vanessa scrunches up her nose. ‘I think uncle Piers is pretty dirty. His farts smell really bad.’

Now Henry can’t stop the laugh. ‘You are totally right, my sunshine.’ He looks from Vanessa, to me, back to Vanessa, back to me, all with a loving smile on his face.

‘Mommy, daddy’s been acting weird.’

I nod. ‘I know, he is probably thinking to himself how he got so lucky that he got not only me, but also you and also this baby.’

‘How did you know?’ Henry asks, honestly in shock.

‘I know everything. That comes with being a mom.’

Vanessa agrees. ‘My mommy knows everything.’

‘That’s not true,’ Henry retorts. ‘No one on earth knows everything.’

Vanessa takes a bite of her pancake, thinks about her answer and eventually says: ‘Well, my mommy knows a lot. More than you.’

‘Yeah, sweetheart, you tell him the facts now.’

Henry sighs deeply, before laughing. ‘Always teaming up against me. Let’s hope the new baby agrees with me more often.’

≫≫≪≪

Because I’m in desperate need for some love from Vanessa, I’m sitting in the back of the car and hold her hand. ‘Together with the terrible mood swings going to the grumpy part of my feelings, I also have been overly emotional. I cry while watching Winnie the Pooh, the drawings Vanessa makes, make me end up bawling like a baby and sometimes when Henry and I are in bed, I just start to sniffle, simply because he gives me a kiss.

I can’t wait for the pregnancy to be over and to hold our new little baby, hoping that the hormones will normalize a bit.

I look at Henry through the rearview mirror and I can’t hide my smile anymore. I’m so happy right now, it’s disgusting really. When I’m at his mom’s place, we talk about life and she says that though she loves her husband dearly and he was an angel throughout her pregnancies, it’s nothing compared to how Henry is with me.

When we arrived at the maternity clinic, Vanessa sits on Henry’s lap, as she looks around the waiting room. ‘Mommy, how are you feeling?’

‘I’m feeling good, sweetheart.’

‘Are you nervous?’ She resits on his laps and places her hands on my stomach. I hate it when people outside my family touch my stomach, it makes me want to punch then in de face, but when she does it, I feel so loved, I feel so beautiful. Vanessa makes sure that I’m happy and that I feel good about myself. She is an honest angel.

‘I’m not. I’m excited.’

‘Me too.’

We are the next to be called in and Vanessa is sitting on Henry’s knee, as I lay on the examination chair. I pull up my shirt and the doctor squirts some cold gel on my skin. ‘Are we ready to find out whether you get a baby sister or brother?’ I love how the doctor involves Vanessa in this exciting day.

We hear the baby’s heartbeat filling the room and I already get emotional, something that was inevitable, because hearting their heartbeat always makes me cry. I hold onto Henry’s hand and he clears his throat, before he kisses my fingers. ‘Okay, this is the baby’s head,’ the doctor explains, as she points to the screen. She continues to look at the baby and say: ‘This baby looks really strong, so that’s good.’

‘Is it a boy or girl?’ Vanessa asks with a smile.

‘Let’s take a good look at that, shall we?’ With a frown between her brows, she tries to get the best view and eventually she smiles. ‘Well congratulations, Cavill family,’ she says, ‘you are going to add a little girl to the mix.’


	19. Chapter 19

Olivia is thirty weeks pregnant and since a week she is on maternity leave. Henry doesn’t want to be the kind of man that is really possessive about his girlfriend, wanting her around every single second, but he is happy that she is at home now. Working the hours that she did, became too much for her, though she didn’t want to admit it. He even suggested to buy her some extra maternity leave, but she insisted that she was going to work up until twenty nine weeks.

But now she is at home and God, does he love every minute that she’s here with him. This pregnancy has been a dream for Henry. His family is growing and that was what he wanted. He started with Kal and then he met Olivia. Because he met Olivia, he gained not only a beautiful girlfriend, but a marvelous young daughter like Vanessa and now they are expecting a baby girl.

His brothers asked him if he didn’t mind that he’d only have women at home, but to be entirely fair: he doesn’t care one single bit. Vanessa already said that when her baby sister is born, they are going to put make-up on him, he should lift both of them up at the same time and he should participate in fashion shows.

And that is a future he so desperately wants.

Tonight Vanessa will go to his parents place, since his mom really wants to have her over. His dad is on a camping trip with some of his friends and mom can use some company. But for now she joins Olivia and him on a little trip to a tattoo shop.

According to Olivia, it had been quite some time since she last went there, probably for the tattoo of Vanessa’s name after Vanessa was a year old. Olivia places her hand on his. ‘You sure you still want to do this?’ she asks.

‘I do.’

‘And remember, only Vanessa’s name,’ she tells him, when he parked the car. ‘I don’t want you to regret it.’

‘I could never regret you, sweetheart.’ Henry opens the door of his own side and walks around the car, to open her door and the back door, so Vanessa can get out as well.

The three of them stand on the curb, as he hears Olivia and Vanessa have a discussion. ‘Because the tattoo is permanent,’ Olivia says, holding Vanessa’s hand. ‘And I know that daddy is not going to regret you, but he and I could break up.’

Vanessa frowns. ‘But I don’t want you two to break up.’

‘We will not break up,’ Henry says to Vanessa, but he also looks at Olivia with a stern look, causing her to roll her eyes. ‘Come on, ladies. Let’s go.

The three of them walk inside the shop and he opens the door for them. ‘Remember,’ she says, ‘only Vanessa’s.’

The man behind the counter looks tough, but when he sees Olivia, his entire face lights up. ‘No way, is that you? Olivia Tran?’

‘The one and only,’ she chuckles.

‘Look at you, all glowing.’ He walks over to them, to give her a hug. ‘I’m so happy to see you.’ The man looks at Vanessa, giving her a big hug as well. ‘And you are so tall already, little V.’

‘I know, Frankie,’ Vanessa smiles, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. ‘And I’m going to be a big sister.’

‘That’s lovely, little V.’ He places her on the floor again and he looks over at Henry. ‘Isn’t this the actor?’ He wipes his hands clean on his pants.

Olivia chuckles. ‘This is my boyfriend Henry, the actor indeed. Henry, this is my favorite tattoo artist, Frankie. He did all of my tattoos.’

‘Mister Henry it’s a pleasure to meet you. I loved you in the Witcher.’

‘Oh thank you,’ Henry says, blushing a bit, as he shakes Frankie’s hand.

‘You want a tattoo, sir?’

Henry nods. ‘I wanted the same one as Olivia has. The one with Vanessa’s name.’

Franke tries to process it, but when it’s becoming obvious that he has trouble understanding, Olivia helps him out by saying: ‘Henry officially adopted Vanessa and with the new one on the way, he wanted to start off with a tattoo of Vanessa’s name.’

‘Oh, you found yourself a good man!’ Frankie says.

‘He is my new daddy,’ Vanessa says, jumping in Henry’s arms.

‘I’m so happy for you, Olivia,’ he says. ‘You and Vanessa deserve it. When is your new baby due? Is it a he or a she?’’

‘ _She_ is due at the end of November.’

‘Wonderful, wonderful. I know for a fact that she is, just like her older sister, going to be a heartbreaker.’ Frankie playfully pinches Vanessa in her cheek. ‘Mister Henry, please come with me, so you can lay down on the chair and get ready.’

Henry answers all the questions. Where he wants the tattoo, if he wants it in the same thin cursive font as Olivia has and if he had eaten well.

Vanessa and Olivia sit next to him on a stool, as he takes place in the chair. Frankie designs the tattoo, so Henry can look at his girlfriend and daughter again. ‘You sure you don’t want your name on here as well?’

‘I’m sure, Henry. I don’t want you to regret it. If we break up, you are going to have my name on you forever.’

Henry simply shrugs. ‘Vanessa, don’t listen to this, okay. You never tattoo someone else’s name on your body, you hear me?’

She nods. ‘Okay, daddy.’

‘But, Olivia, my love, you are the mother of our children. I would cherish you forever. If you really don’t want it, I understand, but I honestly wouldn’t mind. And by the way, how dare you think we are going to break up?’

She chuckles, as she rolls her eyes. ‘Well,’ she says, ‘it’s your body and if you want to, please do it. Just make a wise decision. Wesley has my name tattooed on his body and I bet he isn’t too happy with that.’

‘Seriously?’ he asks. She never told him that, but when would this ever come up in a conversation? He’d rather not talk about that lowlife.

‘On his chest.’

The idea of her name tattooed on Wesley’s chest, makes him want to hurl, but he holds it in. ‘Love, I’m going to be forever grateful that you are the mom of our kids and that is the most important thing for me. Even if we broke up—knock on wood—I would still treat you with the upmost respect, so Vanessa, baby girl and maybe our other kids can see how the most important woman in their lives should be treated like.’

‘Daddy, look what you did,’ Vanessa says, smacking his arm. ‘Mommy is crying.’ She wraps her arms around her mom’s neck and gives her a kiss. ‘Don’t cry, mommy.’

‘I’m sorry, sweetheart.’ He holds her hand to press a kiss on it.

Olivia wipes away the tears, gives Vanessa a peck on her temple and whispers that she is all good now, thanks to how good Vanessa is comforting her.

‘Okay, what about this?’ Frankie asks, as he shows them the design.

‘This looks exactly like mommy’s,’ Vanessa says.

‘It does,’ Henry says, as he nods in approval. ‘Can you write Olivia’s name in the same font?’

Frankie smiles. ‘Sure thing, sir. You are really serious about her, aren’t you?’

‘I sure am and please just say Henry.’

‘Well, Henry, you are a lucky man. Had I not been married to my wonderful wife, I’d stole Olivia right away.’

‘Shut up,’ she chuckles. ‘Henry, are you sure?’

‘I’m sure,’ he says with a smile. ‘I want this.’

Frankie says he’ll be right back and Vanessa walks over to the big tattooed up man, so she can look at how he is designing the tattoo.

Olivia smiles at him. ‘What do you want to do after we dropped of Vanessa at your mom’s?’ Kal is already there, since he has been keeping his mother company since dad left for camping.

‘I think you know,’ he laughs.

‘You horny piece of shit. My hormones should rage, not yours.’

He can’t help but laugh a bit louder. ‘See it as sympathy lust. Why are you complaining? You don’t her my whining every time you want me: five times a day?’

‘You are impossible, mister Cavill.’ She stands up and massages her lower back. ‘Don’t you worry,’ she whispers. ‘It’s nothing serious, honey. Comes with being pregnant, so please calm your tits.’

He looks around, only to see that Frankie pulled Vanessa on his lap and explains some tattoo technicalities. He pulls her closer to the chair and presses a kiss on her bump. She looks absolutely adorable pregnant and he still can’t believe that she is his girlfriend. What did he do in life to deserve her.

‘Still hundred percent sure about the tattoo?’ Olivia asks. ‘I don’t want you to regret it.’

‘I am, baby.’

‘And you know they use needles when setting tattoos?’

He nods. ‘I know. Just stay here with me, okay?’

‘We don’t want a Kal has to get his shots two point o, do we?’

‘Shut up,’ he laughs.

Frankie walks back to the chair, Vanessa plops on the stool and after all the preparations (taking off his shirt), he feels the first sting of the needle in his skin. He doesn’t want to look like a baby, but this hurts. He breaths in slowly as he focuses on Olivia. He could’ve known that it would hurt like shit, because he looked it up, but this spot was the only one he wanted. He feels Olivia’s fingers run through his hair and he closes his eyes, leaning against her touch as he lets out a breath.

‘You’re doing great, sweetheart,’ she whispers. She checks the progress and nods in approval. ‘As usual, Frankie, you are doing an amazing job.’

‘Have to make it perfect for my favorite customers baby daddy.’

‘I want to hit you, but you’re lucky that I love my boyfriend very much and don’t want to screw up his tattoo.’

‘Does it hurt, daddy?’ Vanessa asks with a smile.

‘No.’

‘Don’t lie to your daughter,’ Olivia says.

He closes his eyes. ‘A bit, sunshine.’

Olivia keeps on massaging her lower back and finally says: ‘I’m going out for a bit, to walk around, okay?’

Henry nods. ‘Call me if you need me, love.’

‘Will do. Vanessa, you want to stay here or go with me?’

‘I’m coming with you, mommy.’ The two of them give him a kiss and together they walk out of the shop.

‘Lucky man,’ Frankie says, wiping over the tattoo. ‘Not that Olivia is unlikeable or unlovable, but I never thought she’d find someone again after that prick Wesley, who I, by the way, banned out of my shop. Fucking idiot.’

Henry can’t stop his chuckle. ‘I’m indeed such a lucky man. I’m just happy that she allowed me to be her boyfriend, to be honest. She is way out of my league.’

Frankie looks him right in the eye and says: ‘She is out of your league. You better not walk away, otherwise I have to gather some friends and kick your ass. Though your size is intimidating, we care too much about Olivia. When Wesley left her, we threw him out of the shop, even threatened him.’

‘What for?’

‘If he ever showed his ass in the neighborhood again, we’d kill him.’

‘Well,’ Henry says, ‘he is a fucking idiot, so if you see him in the neighborhood, hold him hostage, so I can punch him in the face.’ He quickly tells Frankie about their meeting with Wesley back in February. ‘I had to fight the urge not to break his neck right there and then, but Vanessa was watching, so I contained myself. I just don’t think I have ever hated someone with that amount of passion.’

Frankie finishes up the tattoo and while Henry admires it in the mirror, Olivia and Vanessa come back. ‘Oh it’s done. Let me see, let me see.’

He turns around and shows them the finished tattoo. He loves it, the cursive font, both of their names and enough space for the name of their future daughter, as well as other kids. She smiles as she places her hand on his waist. Vanessa nods in approval, holding his hand tightly in hers.

‘It’s beautiful, honey,’ Olivia says.

‘And I don’t regret it at all, sweetheart.’

≫≫≪≪

After the three of them came back from Frankie, they dropped Vanessa off at his mothers, because he had other plans for him and Olivia. The earth shattering sex they’ve been having, it’s absolutely mind blowing, but he isn’t complaining at all. He walks back into the bedroom, after he got a bath ready for Olivia. He sees her beautiful naked body on top of the blankets, a faint blush on her cheeks and the after glow of her two orgasms still apparent.

She looks up with a smile. ‘Such a shame you can’t join me in bath,’ she admits.

He smiles, as he holds out his hand for her to take. ‘It sure is, love. Careful now.’ He pulls her up and together they walk to the bathroom. He helps her step into the tub, making sure she doesn’t slip. When she is nicely seated, he tells her he will be right back. He puts on a shirt, so he isn’t just in his boxers.

‘What are you going to do?’

‘I’m going to get us something to drink, my love,’ he says with a smile. ‘You need to stay hydrated.’

‘No,’ she pouts, ‘don’t leave.’

Sometimes she does this because she is just being in a whiney mood, but today he senses that she means it. He even notices the tears in her eyes. ‘Oh no, honey, don’t cry.’

‘Don’t leave me, Henry,’ she whines.

Henry can’t help but chuckle. ‘Sweetheart, I’ll be right back.’ He presses a kiss on her temple and leaves her in the tub, though she is a sulking mess. He quickly walks downstairs and making both of them a cup of tea. He clears his throat and can’t help but think about their new baby.

The nursery is all set and done. Though they could move into a bigger place—he has the money—the both of them figured that they aren’t in a hurry. Since they want to wait at least a few years before they want an eventual third kid, they’ll manage in this place. He has yet to put up his home on the market, but he figures he should do that soon. In less than ten weeks their daughter will be here and he don’t think he has time or energy to do it then.

He walks up the stairs and sees she is now relaxing in the bath tub. Since he can’t join her, he sits on a tiny stool next to the tub. ‘I was thinking about some names,’ he says. ‘I know I told you before that I liked Heather, but I feel like you and I should think about some more names. Just like you did with Vanessa. I’m just scared that if we look at our daughter when she’s born and the name doesn’t fit her.’

She nods. ‘I still like Chloe. So if you like that name, we have two to choose from. I think it’s just hard to think of more names. Every name seems to be connected to stupid people.’

He smiles. ‘That is true.’ He never thought he could love her more, but with every passing second, his love for her grows even more. He can’t believe himself. He fell in love over the course of his lifetime, but never felt he like this. Sometimes he fears that one day she’ll get enough of him, but seeing her pregnant with their kid… It’s evident that she’ll probably not get sick of him. He is so head over heels with her, it scares him sometimes.

‘Henry, why are you staring at me?’

‘Nothing, just love you.’

She frowns. ‘No, it’s not just that. Be honest with me, Henry, you like me being pregnant, because I’m helpless, horny and ugly.’

Though he’d agree that he likes to do things for her (not the helpless part, he loves her independence) and he loves the way she initiates tons of make out sessions which on its own leads to sex, he can’t believe she says she’s ugly. ‘Don’t say you’re ugly,’ he says in disbelieve. ‘You are not ugly, everything but ugly for that matter.’

‘Henry,’ she whispers, ‘I’m fat and I have stretch marks. I gained so much weight already, while you still look like perfection.’

‘That’s because you are growing a baby inside of you. Sweetheart, I love you so much and you look beautiful.’ He takes her hand in his. He wondered what she thought when she was pregnant with Vanessa. Was she like this as well? ‘I have to be honest with you: I do love seeing you pregnant, simply because you are glowing so much and you are doing something so amazing. But I can’t wait for you to see you as the mother of a baby. I can’t wait to be an even better partner in crime with you, when we raise two daughters instead of one.’ He presses a long kiss on her fingers. ‘My beautiful girlfriend,’ he whispers, ‘don’t ever call yourself ugly or fat because otherwise I will have to tape your mouth shut.’

She sniffles. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, no, no, don’t feel sorry,’ he says with a smile. ‘I love you.’

After about half an hour, he helps her out of the tub and with a big shirt of him and some shorts, she lays on her side on the couch. She is fast asleep and Kal curled himself up near her legs, placing his head on her thigh. Henry cleans up a bit, before he walks over to her and sits next to the couch, pushing her shirt up.

While Vanessa spoke to her bump without a problem from the moment she found out Olivia was pregnant, he found it hard to talk to the baby. He’d smile when he watched his oldest daughter talk to her sibling, already thinking about sneaky plans they are going to do together. At first he couldn’t seem to do it, but eventually he would do it in the early mornings, when Olivia was still asleep. He was scared that she’d notice or hear him, thinking it was weird. However he felt this desperate need to do it and when the entirety of London was asleep, he kneeled beside the bed and started whispering little stories to her bump.

But one morning she caught him and though he felt like such an idiot, she thought it was adorable. ‘You can always do this,’ she told him that day. ‘This baby is also your kid. He or she should get to know your voice.’

And now he loves doing it. Sometimes he and Vanessa sit on both sides of Olivia and talk to the little baby girl, about all the things they are going to do as a family.

‘Hi baby girl,’ he says, ‘you’re almost here. We can’t wait for you to show up, but you stay in there until you are all grown and ready to face this world. I wonder what you will look like, whether or not you’ll be a Heather, a Chloe or something completely different.’ He places his heavy hand on Olivia’s belly, his fingers tracing her stretch marks. ‘Today I got the names of your mom and your older sister tattooed on my ribcage,’ he says, but it only ears him a kick against the palm of his hand. ‘No, no, no, don’t you worry about a thing now. There is a spot left for you. You mean so much to me, my love and I can’t wait for us to meet. Now be nice to your mommy, okay?’

‘She is being nice to me now,’ Olivia whispers. ‘I love you, Henry.’

‘I love you too, my love.’


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of childbirth and all that comes with it.

Olivia has been in the first stage of labor for a day now, but she somehow manages just fine. The contractions aren’t that frequent nor that painful and as long as he is there for her, massaging her lower back, allowing her to squeeze his hands for some pain relief and do stuff for her when she asks him to, it seems to go pretty well.

Kal and Vanessa are already at his parents place. He promised his mom that he would text her as soon as they went to the hospital, when baby girl is born, so she’ll let the others know. He really is grateful that his family is there for them. A week ago they celebrated Vanessa’s birthday at his parents place and while Olivia and Belle were here at home, he and his parents took care of the party for Vanessa.

Though Vanessa thought it was a shame that her mother wasn’t here, she understood and had a lot of fun regardless.

‘How are you hanging in there, love?’ he asks.

‘I’m fine,’ she mumbles. ‘The contractions aren’t that painful. I just wish I would have contractions more painful and frequent and that my water breaks. If that is the case, it’s really happening. This is just boring.’

He can’t help but laugh. Leave it up to her to call labor boring. He watches as she is laying on the couch, but pushes herself up. ‘I’m going to grab some grapes,’ she mumbles.

‘Sweetheart, I can do that for you.’

‘I know, but I think I need to walk.’

He helps her to stand and watches her waddle off to the kitchen, causing him to smile. He leans back in the couch, having to fight the urge not to run after her. His brothers already laughed at him multiple times. When they were over at his family around a month ago, Olivia stood up to get some more snacks and when he wanted to get up as well, she simply chuckled, placed her hands on his shoulders and told him she’d manage. While she walked over to the kitchen, he felt Piers’ hand on his shoulder, forcing him down on the seat. ‘You can do it,’ his brother said. ‘You can let her do something herself.’

Charlie felt the need to add: ‘If we hear a thud, we know she didn’t manage.’

‘Not funny,’ he hissed.

Everyone around the table started to laugh, causing Olivia to frown when she came back. ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked.

His brothers couldn’t stop laughing and Olivia handed a tiny bag of chips to Vanessa. ‘They are making fun of daddy,’ she told her mom.

‘I’m sorry,’ Niki laughed, ‘but we had to psychically restrain your boyfriend not to run after you.’

Olivia laughed with them, but when she was laughing at his expense, he didn’t mind. He’d kill his brothers later on, preferably without any witnesses.

‘Henry,’ he hears Olivia say from the kitchen, ‘could you come in here for a second?’

He rushes towards the kitchen and he sees Olivia clutching her stomach, as she stands in a puddle of water.

‘My water broke,’ she says with a scrunched up face. ‘Please, don’t panic now, but I need you to do a few things for me.’

‘I’m not panicking. I think I’m offended because you told me not to panic.’

She rolls her eyes. ‘You were panicking this morning, you big idiot, when I told you I had a mild contraction.’ Her eyes widen and she quickly adds: ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to tell you off.’

‘You didn’t,’ he chuckles. ‘I was just joking. What can I do for you, love?’

‘Can you get me a towel, a new pair of underwear, sweatpants and socks?’

‘Of course.’ He hurries upstairs, gets what she asked for and when he comes back, he sees her pained expression on her face.

‘It’s more painful,’ she whines.

‘Isn’t that what you wanted?’

‘No need to be a smart ass now.’

Henry can’t help but laugh. His mother warned him, because according to the stories (she barely remembers), she was an upright bitch to his dad during labor. He dries her legs, helps her in a new pair of underwear, sweatpants and socks and says: ‘I’m going to call the clinic, okay?’

‘Can you stay here?’

‘Of course.’ Thankfully he put his phone in his back pocket. He calls the clinic, while he is still holding onto her hand. ‘We can come to the clinic.’ He stands up from the chair and expects to pull her up as well, but she stays put. ‘What is it, sweetheart?’

‘I’m scared,’ she mumbles.

He shouldn’t laugh, but she looks so pouty and sad. ‘Oh no, why?’

‘Because… I don’t know.’

‘With Vanessa you were alone,’ he tells her, ‘and you managed. Now I’m with you, so you’ll definitely manage. I’m not going to leave you alone for a single second.’

‘Pinky promise?’ With a pout, Olivia holds out her pinky and Henry hooks his through hers, whispering: ‘Pinky promise.’

The two of them manage to get to the car, but the second he is seated, Olivia groans in pain as another contraction hits her. ‘You’re doing good, sweetheart,’ he says, ‘I’m so proud of you. Breath in slowly, remember what we learned in class.’

Though she didn’t want to go to birthing class, he insisted on going. She had been taking those classes before with Belle, but he didn’t and wanted to know what he could expect. But when they got there, they pretended that they both were first time parents, because she couldn’t remember shit.

‘Fuck you and your birthing class,’ she hisses, but when the contraction is over, she looks at him and chuckles. ‘I’m sorry in advance, Henry,’ she says. ‘I’m going to be a piece of work.’

‘It’s nothing I can’t handle, angel.’

He drives off to the clinic. He lets her squeeze his hand as she breathes through the contractions, that are becoming more frequent and more painful. ‘Very good, Olivia,’ he says, ‘I’m so proud of you.’

‘I want an epidural.’

‘Just tell the nurses that,’ he says. ‘We’re almost there.’

Henry figured out that as long as he is there for her, that it’ll all be alright and hopefully he can live up to that expectation. He tells her to wait in the car, as he hurries off to get her a wheelchair. When he wheels her into the clinic, he is calm on the outside, though he is freaking out on the inside. His daughter is going to be born in a matter of hours.

_This is insane._

The doctor checks how far dilated Olivia is and it turns out she is already six centimeters dilated. She practically begs for a epidural and the nurse tells her that she is going to find the anesthesiologist. Minutes pass by after the epidural and he sees her psychically relax.

Hours pass by and he is fighting off the fatigue. He feels it would be unfair for him to fall asleep, though she wouldn’t mind. She told him that a billion times, but he figures that would simply be rude, since she is working hard now. ‘Henry,’ she whispers, holding out her hand.

‘Yes, love.’

‘Tell me something nice.’

‘Like what?’

She shrugs. ‘What are we going to do when we get back home?’

The smile on his face tells it all. ‘When we get home, we are going to cuddle up with baby girl and you are going to recover in bed. Don’t you worry about Vanessa, Kal or the house: I can take perfect care of that and my mom is on speed dial and retired, so I’ll probably call her all the time.’

The tears run over her cheeks, without her actually crying. ‘Happy tears, don’t you worry.’

‘I’m not worrying, sweetheart.’

‘Oh shit, Henry, a contraction.’

He coaches her through this one, just like he has been coaching her through all of the contractions. ‘You’re doing so good, sweetheart,’ he tells her.

Her contractions are becoming more rapid and though she kept her composure the entire time (he doesn’t know how she is doing it, but she is the toughest woman alive), now her groans and cries fill the room.

‘Look at that,’ the doctor says during the check up, ‘you are fully dilated.’

‘No,’ she whines.

The nurse who stands on the other side of her can’t help but smile. ‘Sweetheart, you have been doing such a good job already. You can almost say hello to your baby girl.’

‘Is it too late for a c-section?’

The nurse nods.

Olivia looks at him in desperation. ‘We are going to consider that next time,’ she says. ‘Okay?’

The doctor tells her that whenever she feels ready to push, she should push down and Henry and the other nurse hold back her legs. She brings her chin to her chest as she starts to push. Sweat runs from her hairline over her face, just as tears drip over her cheeks. ‘Henry, it hurts a lot,’ she says, as they are waiting for another contraction. ‘Maybe we should consider adopting.’

‘You’re doing great, sweetheart.’

After a few more pushes, the doctor tells them that he can see the head is already crowning. Olivia told him weeks prior to this moment that she insisted him not to look, because if she can’t see what it looks like, he shouldn’t either.

‘She is almost here, Olivia,’ the doctor says. ‘One more push.’

‘You said that three pushes ago,’ she screams.

The doctor can’t help but smile. ‘This time I mean it.’

After one long push, a screaming baby is placed on her stomach. Henry can’t believe it. This is his daughter. ‘You did it, Olivia,’ he says, placing a kiss on her forehead, as the cries of their daughter fill the room.

Henry gets to cut the umbilical cord and a nurse wraps the little girl up in a blanket. ‘Congratulations, mister Cavill,’ she tells him. ‘She is absolutely beautiful.’

A few tears of happiness stream over his face. ‘Sweetheart,’ he says to Olivia, ‘you did amazing. I’m so proud of you.’ He looks over to hear, only to see that all the color is drained from her face and she is not responding at all. He wants to ask something, but machines start to beep.

‘Her blood pressure dropped,’ he hears someone say and he helplessly watches as they are checking her vitals.

‘What is happening?’ he asks, but he watches the nurses wheel Olivia’s bed out of the room. He stares at the amounts of blood that is left on the floor. For fuck’s sake, that looks worrisome.

A nurse walks over to him and says: ‘Mister Cavill, your girlfriend lost a lot of blood. They will put her on an IV, for a blood transfusion, as we help her deliver the placenta. But I have to ask you to walk with me.’

‘To do what?’ he asks. ‘Can I be with her?’

‘I’m afraid not, sir. We’re going to a different room. One where you can sit down with your daughter.’

‘Is she going to be okay?’ he asks, as he walks with his daughter to another room.

‘We are going to try our best.’ That is not at all what he wants to hear. He wanted to hear a definite yes. This is a maybe, which is practically a no. She places a comforting hand on his arm. ‘You should call someone,’ she tells him, as he is seated in a comfy chair. She points out to him that if there is something wrong, he should press the purple button, before she rushes out of the room.

No, this can’t happen, he thinks to himself. This cannot happen. The little baby in his arms, is fast asleep and he lets out a sigh. She is beautiful, he thinks to himself, but he needs Olivia to be okay. He so needs her with him, so they can raise their family _together_. He can’t do it alone.

He grabs his phone, before he dials his mothers number.

It only rings once. ‘Henry!’ she exclaims as she picks up the phone. ‘How are you? How is Olivia? Is my granddaughter born yet?’

He hears his dad in the background as well as Vanessa’s delighted voice, asking if she has a sister already. This isn’t the phone call he wants to make. ‘Mom,’ he whispers, his voice breaking already, ‘I’m scared.’

‘Colin, quiet now,’ she hisses. ‘Dear, what is wrong? Is everything okay?’

‘Olivia lost a lot of blood,’ he says, clearing his throat to prevent himself from crying. ‘Mom, they are going to help her deliver the placenta and put her on an IV, but what if something terrible happens to her?’

‘Oh honey, don’t you think like that. You know what, I’m getting in a car and I’ll be there for you. No, Vanessa, sweetheart, I’m going alone. I’ll tell you about it when I get ready. Henry, are you still there?’

‘I am.’

‘Listen to me, be there for your newly born daughter and I’ll be there in a second, okay?’

‘Okay,’ he says. ‘I love you, mom.’

‘Oh sweetheart, I love you too.’

≫≫≪≪

His mom arrives at the hospital fifteen minutes after they hung up and she rushes over to his side, giving him a hug. ‘Oh my, honey. Tell me, where is she? How is she?’

Henry shrugs. ‘I still don’t know, they haven’t told me yet.’

She looks at the little baby in his arms, who gets a little fussy. ‘Can I?’ she asks.

Henry carefully gives his mom his newborn daughter, before he rubs his face. He is worried sick, continues to think about Olivia. No one has told him how she is and it has been a while since he saw her, white as a ghost, being wheeled out of the room.

His mom looks like such a natural, holding the baby in one arm, while placing the other on his leg. ‘Tell me what you think, sweetheart,’ she whispers.

And that is all that it takes for Henry to break. ‘What if she dies, mom?’ he asks, letting the tears run over his cheeks. ‘I can’t lose her. She is my everything. Imagine telling Vanessa that her mother died and—’

‘Okay, Henry, you need to stop thinking like that. It will not help you.’

He stands up from his chair as he paces around the room. He wants to slam the wall, to throw the chair out of the window, but his gazes falls on his little angel asleep in his mothers arms. He can’t throw a fit, not when she is so calm and at peace.

The door opens and the same nurse who brought him here walks in. ‘How is she?’ he immediately asks. ‘Tell me, where is she? I need to see her.’

‘Mister Cavill,’ she says with a professional expression, ‘Olivia is alright. She is still unconscious, but her blood pressure is stable, the placenta was delivered according to plan. The only thing is that the three of you need to stay here for at least one night, so we can observe her.’

Relief washes over him. ‘Of course, of course,’ he says. ‘But she is okay?’

The nurse smiles. ‘She is. We’ll wheel her back in.’

He can’t help it, but he wraps his arms around the nurse. ‘Thank you,’ he says, ‘thank you, thank you, thank you and tell all the others who helped her thank you.’

She chuckles. ‘Of course, sir, will do.’

He sees Olivia being wheeled back in, her eyes closed and hooked to multiple IV’s. She has more color on her face now, but she is still asleep. He walks over to her and presses a long kiss on her forehead. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispers. ‘I know I promised you that I wouldn’t leave you. I’m so so so sorry, Olivia. But remember: I love you so much, our daughter is healthy and we are going to be fine.’ He doesn’t know whether or not she can hear him, but saying these words out loud, is comforting for him.

He and his mom take turns holding the baby. When his mom is holding her again, she asks: ‘You two have a name already?’

‘We have two,’ he says, ‘but we are not sure which one will fit her best. Heather or Chloe. But I don’t know really.’ He watches Olivia closely, as his mother is holding baby girl Tran Cavill (for the lack of a first name) and he sees her eyes start to flutter. He quickly stands up as he sees that she is waking up, looking around her. ‘Careful now, love,’ he whispers.

‘Oh my God, Henry, what happened?’ she asks.

‘You lost a lot of blood,’ he tells her, ‘and there was something with the placenta, but don’t you worry now: you are all okay.’

She nods, as tears spill over her cheek. ‘How is she?’ she asks.

‘Baby girl is doing good,’ he says. ‘Very healthy, very sweet. My mom is here too and we agreed that she is so beautiful.’

She smiles with watery eyes and looks passed him. ‘Hi Marianne.’

‘Sweetheart, what did we agree on?’

‘I’m sorry, _mom_.’

His mother told her a few weeks ago that it’s okay that Olivia calls her mom too. She is in fact the grandmother of her daughter Vanessa, so it’s only obvious that she is calling her mom, right? At least, that was the reasoning his mom used. And Henry knows that Olivia loves having a mom again, and a dad, since his father insisted on her calling him dad, if she was going to call Marianne mom.

She walks up to the bed and hands Olivia their daughter. Olivia looks at the little baby and takes a shaky breath. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispers to Henry. ‘I’m so so sorry.’

‘Don’t,’ he tells her, sitting on the edge of the bed and wraps an arm around her petite frame, to kiss her forehead. ‘What happened is nothing for you to apologize over. We’re good now. The three of us will stay in the hospital for another night and then we can go home.’

‘Okay,’ she whispers. ‘Oh my, she looks like Vanessa when she was born.’ Baby girl opens her eyes and looks at her mother. ‘Hi, sweetheart,’ she says in a hoarse tone. ‘Aren’t you beautiful.’ She looks at the wrist of her new born daughter and reads out loud: ‘Baby girl Tran-Cavill.’ She looks up and smiles sadly.

‘What’s wrong, sweetheart?’

‘Nothing,’ she whispers. ‘It’s so sweet.’

He pulls her body closer to his chest and he lets out a content sigh. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’m okay,’ she admits. ‘But you and I are waiting at least three to four years before we have another kid,’ she tells him.

He can’t help but laugh. ‘We’ll take all the time we need.’

‘Olivia, sweetheart, you don’t need to do anything with it right now, but I know a woman who is a therapist, specialist in traumas.’

‘I need her number,’ Olivia interrupts her. ‘I went to a therapist after Vanessa’s birth as well. I really need it. I’m a mess.’

‘You are not a mess,’ Henry retorts.

Baby girl starts to get a little bit fussy and Olivia already knows what to do. She truly is the greatest woman alive. She unbuttons her shirt and watches as their daughter latches on her nipple and starts drinking. ‘How is Vanessa?’

‘Worried,’ mom says. ‘I think I have an idea. I’m going back home, bring Vanessa, Colin and Belle with me, so they can meet the little girl, how about that?’

‘Yeah,’ Olivia says. ‘Sounds good.’

Mom gives Olivia a kiss, whispers something in her ear and after she gave Henry a hug, she walks out of the room. The nurse walks in, checks her vitals and tells them she will give them something to drink and to eat in about ten minutes.

When it’s just the two of them again, Henry smiles at Olivia. ‘I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,’ he says. He looks at the baby, who looks so tiny and petite. ‘Tell me: is she a Heather or a Chloe?’

‘Neither,’ Olivia says. ‘We should’ve thought about more names, Henry.’

He sees her frown and the panic in her eyes. ‘Don’t worry, Olivia. We will find a name for her. There is no rush.’

‘Leave it to us to not have a name for our daughter,’ Olivia says. ‘This feeling of breastfeeding… It has been such a long time, it’s weird.’ She looks up and gives him a kiss on his jaw. ‘We did it. We made a baby together and now we are going to raise two kids. Honey, we are such a domestic couple.’

‘We sure are, it’s crazy.’ He chuckles and adds: ‘You should recover first, but after that, we should get married.’

‘Or,’ she says, ‘you and I get married after we had all our kids. I remember being pretty pissed at my parents for not waiting to get married until after I was born and could remember it. We are already not the most traditional pair, let’s just continue on breaking certain etiquette.’

‘That sounds like you and I would definitely do,’ he chuckles. And all of the sudden, something flashes through his mind. ‘What do you think of the name Elodie?’

She tilts her head as she looks at the baby. ‘Elodie Tran-Cavill,’ she says. The baby stops drinking and lets out a small cry, before she looks at the both of them. ‘She is an Elodie.’ While Olivia buttons up her shirt again, Henry picks up the small baby and whispers: ‘Welcome to the world, Elodie Tran-Cavill.’

≫≫≪≪


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be from Vanessa POV

##  **9 years later**

**Name:** Vanessa Tran-Cavill

 **Subject:** English

 **Teacher:** Mrs. Allen

 **Grade:** 100/100 — Vanessa, you are such a talented writer. You raised the bar for every other essay I’m going to read in my entire career left as an English teacher. You have such a wonderful role model in your life. Please cherish your family for the rest of your life!

**The one who taught me everything - an essay about Olivia Tran-Cavill, the greatest inspiration for me.**

I was raised by the toughest woman alive. I know that a lot of kids say that about their mom, but allow me to explain why Olivia Tran-Cavill is the toughest woman I know in my life.

Her boyfriend left her when she told him she was pregnant with me, her own family (meaning her parents and her two brothers) practically disowned her, and on top of that she just started a job as a freshly minted veterinarian.

If I were in her shoes, I’d be terrified, struck by multiple breakdowns on a daily basis, but not my mom. She raised me all by herself, barely having a break or a moment of her own. I was her number one priority. She told me to be kind, to be honest and polite: personality traits that provide me with the best today and for all the days to come in the future.

There was only one thing that I desperately wanted and that was a family. I wanted a dad like the kids in my class. I wanted grandparents. I wanted aunts and uncles. I wanted to have little siblings, because I knew that I would be a great big sister.

Unfortunately that wasn’t in the stars for me and my mom told me that. It takes a brave woman to say to her young child: ‘Your real dad doesn’t want you. Your grandparents kicked me out the second they found out I was pregnant with you. Your uncles never spoke to me again.’

It hurt obviously. There were people walking around here that shared DNA with me, that were family, but they made it pretty clear that they didn’t want me nor my mother. To this day they still haven’t reached out and they honestly don’t know what they are missing out on. At least, that is what my mom always tells me.

But my mom always told me that family wasn’t all about sharing DNA, it was about finding people that you want in your life. You can choose who your family is.

Despite that wonderful piece of advice that I definitely took to heart, I continued to make her a drawing every single day. My mom and I inside our house and outside there is a man with a dog, waiting to be allowed into our life.

Waiting to become a dad.

My dad.

One day my mom was on call and had to go to the clinic at night. She took me with her and that’s the day we met Henry and his dog Kal. Little did we all know that at that exact moment, our lives drastically changed.

Henry was more of a dad in the first hour that I had met him, then my real dad was in my entire life. For the first time in life, I had a dad figure. A man who cared not only about me, but also about my mom.

Being with Henry never drastically changed my mom. She was still the bad ass mom I always had, but it did softened her up. It made her relaxed. Henry gave her what she deserved all those years of raising me by herself. Letting someone take care of her too. There is only so much a six year old could give back to a powerhouse like her mom, but there is so much more a man like Henry Cavill can give her.

He provided us with a family. A grandma, a granddad and four lovely uncles.

And for that I have to thank my mom. She allowed Henry into her life, thus into my life and gave us six amazing Cavill family members, who cared about us and loved us up to this day.

Now, I admire her every single day. The way she takes care of not only me, but also my three sisters, is something I feel like I can never live up to. Whenever some of us walk into the room, her face lights up and she drops everything to give us her full attention.

And for that I am so incredibly thankful. She taught me so much. How to love, how to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar and she taught me that it is okay to be scared, but that it should never stop you from pursuing what you want to achieve.

I know my mom was scared when she got pregnant and was dropped by all the people she thought she could trust and rely on, but it never stopped her from pursuing what she wanted: to be a great mother and an excellent veterinarian. Knowing that, I’m going to try to be the best version of myself, though I know damn well that I can never be as amazing as her.

For me, my mom is the most influential person in my life and I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world.

≫≫≪≪

With my freshly graded essay, I walk towards my locker. This is such a great way to end the week. I worked my ass off on this essay and the fact that mrs. Allen gave me the full hundred out of hundred points is unbelievable. She never gives people higher than ninety points probably. I feel like I’m the first student in her entire career to score the highest grade possible.

‘There she is.’ I look up to see Trey walking up to me, already undoing his tie. He always tells me that he hates that thing with a passion and while I suggest he uses a clip on tie (like half the school does), he keeps on wearing the regular one. I think it’s so he can continue to bitch about it. ‘You’re going to Jimmy’s party tonight, right?’

I shake my head. ‘I’m sorry, Trey, I can’t. I have plans with my family.’

‘The entire family?’ he asks, as he leans against the row of lockers besides mine.

‘Yes, the entire family.’

‘And there is absolutely no change at all that you can ditch them?’

I can’t stop my chuckle. Usually I go out on Friday, especially if Trey invites me, but right now I really can’t go. ‘It’s important,’ I say to him. I see him fake pouting, causing me to roll my eyes. ‘Come on, don’t pout. Jimmy has parties every two weeks. I’ll be at the next one.’

Trey grins. ‘I’ll hold you to that, V. Tell your mom I said hi and also say that to your dad, because I’m afraid he’ll kick my ass next time he sees me. Oh, and say hi to your sisters, will you?’

A few weeks ago Trey came over to my place, because we were going to do algebra homework together (and because we wanted to spend time together). Dad was ready to embarrass the shit out of me (I think he has been waiting for this moment since he adopted me to be honest—he seemed to well prepared), but mom swooped right in and Trey felt instantly at ease. Ever since then, he asks me how she is doing when I see him at school.

I know it’s tough for Trey. He wasn’t raised with a mother, since she passed away during his birth, but her three brothers raised him. He loves them dearly and because of that, he can handle my dad’s antics just fine. However it’s nice for him to have a motherly figure in his life, since his uncles never dated (they would get along well with my uncles) and my mom is the right person for that.

After that algebra homework moment we had, he has been coming over a lot more often and just a few days ago, I saw him giving my mom a hug. When I asked her about it, she told me that he always likes it when he is here and it turns out, that he told her all about growing up with only his uncles and how she feels like a mom figure to him. I like how he is welcomed into my family. My sisters are absolutely smitten with him and they love it when I bring him over, since they wished I was a boy, so they could have a brother.

It’s always nice to know that your sisters love you for who you are.

‘You know, you can come over too,’ I say, not wanting Trey to leave. ‘If you want to of course.’

‘Are you sure?’ he asks, but he already has a telling smile on his face. ‘I just don’t want to intrude an important event.’

‘You won’t,’ I laugh. ‘It’s been ten years since my dad officially adopted me. We’re going to celebrate at my grandparents’ place. My uncles will be there, my aunt, nephews and my sisters.’

Trey smiles. ‘Well, if you invite me.’

I close my locker and say: ‘We are going to celebrate this whole weekend, but you can only stay today if you want to, so you won’t miss Jimmy’s party.’

‘I don’t really care about Jimmy’s party,’ Trey admits. ‘I only wanted to spend time with you.’

It’s obvious that we have a crush on each other, it’s just that I’m afraid of committing. He doesn’t seem to mind though, that pull my hand back when he wants to hold it and that we haven’t kissed, though we’ve been on a few dates.

‘So,’ Trey says as we walk out of the school, ‘your dad adopted you ten years ago.’

I nod. ‘Yeah, he made me an official Cavill from that day. If I’m being completely honest, I never thought I’d have a dad. I always thought that it was going to be me, my mom and my pleads for a dad. For such a long time I thought it was enough, though deep down I wanted a dad, but sometimes it’s just not meant for everyone, right?’

Trey nods. ‘Right.’

‘I still remember the day we met him and Kal,’ I say. ‘And I just knew that I wanted that man as my father. I was six and though I need saw my mom with a man, I just knew that they were meant for each other, you know. We were standing around the examination table, because Kal was sick and I thought to myself that this was the man that not only I wanted in my life, but my mom needed as well.’

Trey’s fingers brush against mine and I hold onto his hand, for the first time in the weeks that we are circling around each other.

I think back to the times where it was just my mom and I. She was so strong for all those years of raising me, telling me the painful truth about my biological dad, my grandparents and uncles from her side of the family, arranging all different sorts of shifts at the animal clinic and bringing me to work when necessary.

I admire my mother and the way she carefully picked out a man that was worthy of becoming my dad, of adopting me and giving me his last name. I had been Vanessa Tran for so many years, but becoming Vanessa Tran-Cavill, had been such a blessing and for the first time in seven years, I had a dad, someone who cared about me.

Someone who loved me.

And right now, I have seen how much he loved my mom, me and my sisters. I admired the way dad took care of us, while still having an acting career. He played in seven movies since I met him and five of those were being filmed here in the UK, since he didn’t want to leave us for too long.

He posts about us on Instagram sometimes, but always disables the comments. A lot of people know that I’m his daughter, but they mostly find out when we’ve known each other for a while.

Trey and I get out of the bus, but I stop him, before we walk off to my grandparents’ house. ‘I just want to prepare you. I have four nosey uncles and a granddad who just starts to talk, not knowing when to stop.’

‘It’s nothing I can’t handle,’ he laughs. ‘Remember, I grew up with three uncles and their friends. This will be peanuts.’

I smile. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ I squeeze his hand. ‘Trey, before we go into the backyard, I have to admit something.’

‘I like you too,’ he says. ‘And I don’t mind taking it slow.’

My eyes widen. ‘How did you know I was going to say that?’

‘You’re predictable, Tran.’ Trey smiles and I roll my eyes. ‘It’s honestly no big deal. I really like you and your family and though I feel comfortable enough to go at my pace, I don’t want to force you into stuff.’ He gives me a squeeze back in my hand. ‘Your pace and no one else’s.’ He pulls me to him and wraps me up in a tight hug. I feel his chin on top of my head and I let out a sigh, before I close my eyes, nuzzling my face in his chest. This feels nice, I could get used to this.

I pull back a little, to carefully press a kiss on his jaw. ‘Come on, let’s go,’ I say, pulling him with me to the gate at the back of the yard. Together we walk into the backyard and I see everyone is already there. Uncles Piers, Niki and Charlie are standing near the barbecue, as my nine year old sister Elodie is poking Charlie in his sides. Belle has wrapped her arms around uncle Simon’s neck, giving him tons of kisses. Belle’s two year old son Hugh is trying to kick the ball, but he misses and falls flat on his bum. He waddles over to Belle, who is currently expecting another boy in four months.

My five year old sisters Chloe and Heather are the first to notice me. ‘Vanessa!’ they scream in unison, rushing towards me and wrapping their arms around my waist. ‘We missed you.’

‘I missed you guys too,’ I chuckle.

‘And you brought Trey!’ Chloe notices, jumping in his arms. ‘You are staying here for the barbecue?’

‘Of course,’ Trey says with a smile. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world, munchkin.’

Everyone looks up and gives me hugs and introduce themselves to Trey if they haven’t met him already. Grandpa Colin gives me a big hug and slips fifty pounds not only in my hand, but also in Trey’s hand. ‘So you can take her out on a date, young man,’ he tells Trey.

When we walk over to my parents, Trey says: ‘Damn, I get fifty pounds for showing up here. Should I tell your grandad when my birthday is?’

‘Don’t,’ I say sternly, pinching his side.

Kal licks my hand and I scratch him on top of his head. He is not fat anymore (as if my mother would allow that). He is also not as active as he used to be when I met him, but he is still the most loyal and biggest sweetheart in the world, always taking care of me and my sisters.

My mom holds out her arms and Trey doesn’t hesitate for a minute to be engulfed in her arms. Dad wraps his arms around my waist and bumps his nose against my cheek. Elodie, Chloe and Heather often wonder why we do that, but it’s our thing and it’ll always be our thing. ‘There you are, sunshine,’ he says.

‘It’s a special day today,’ I say. ‘You have any regrets?’

He scoffs. ‘Are you kidding me? As if I could have regrets.’

‘You still have the receipt?’

He laughs. ‘Like I would ever use that.’ He gives me a kiss on my cheek and says: ‘You brought your boyfriend with you, I see.’

Normally I’d protest against his antics, but now… I actually don’t mind. I quite like it actually. I like the idea of Trey being my boyfriend. ‘Well, yeah.’

Dad gives me a big kiss, before he places me on my feet again. Trey wipes his hands clean on his jeans, before he extends his hand to my dad. I don’t quite know what happens after that, because mom pulls me into a hug. Though I’m seventeen now and my mom is reaching the forty already, she barely aged.

It’s admirable, really. After she gave birth to Elodie and she lost that much blood, it was the scariest experience in my life. I thought, with the way everyone was looking at each other when dad called, my mom would die. It took her six months to recover and I helped out the best I could, but I knew that asking for another sibling too soon, wouldn’t help. Four years after she had Elodie, she became pregnant with twins and after that she did not want more kids. Ideally she wanted three, I remember her saying that to dad, but now she had four and though she loved it, it was enough.

‘How was school?’ mom asks.

‘It was great. I got my English essay back.’

‘Oh really? How did you do?’

‘I’ll tell you in a minute.’

Mom tilts her head when she looks at Henry and Trey, who seem to hit it off actually. ‘You chose a good one,’ she tells me. ‘So proud of you, sweetheart.’ Mom wraps her arm around my waist and gives me a kiss. ‘Oh no, mom!’ she yells to grandma Marianne. ‘Wait, don’t carry everything.’ Mom rushes off to the kitchen and I can’t hide my smile.

I’m happy that all these people are my family. From the looks of Trey, he actually is a bit nervous. I walk up to him and my dad and wrap my arm around his hips. He is tense, but wraps his arm around my shoulders. ‘You’re not bugging him, are you, dad?’

‘No, of course not,’ he says, but I cock my eyebrow, causing him to say: ‘Just asking him what he will do with that fifty pound your grandpa gave him.’

Of course my dad noticed that.

He excuses himself, walking up to the barbecue, lifting up Elodie in the process. I look up at Trey and I ask: ‘I thought you said this would be peanuts?’

‘It will be peanuts,’ he tells me. ‘Just have to warm up a bit.’ He smiles, pearly white teeth framed by his full lips. ‘This definitely helps.’

‘Okay, love birds,’ uncle Niki yells, ‘come on. We’re getting ready to eat.’

I feel a blush creep up on my cheeks, but despite that, I still chuckle. He laces his fingers through mine, as we walk to the big table in the backyard under the parasol. ‘I just want to say one thing,’ grandma Marianne says, ‘and that is that I want to thank my son for overfeeding his dog, so he met the greatest veterinarian of all times, who—together with her oldest daughter—brought so much joy and happiness into the family.’

‘Mom, it has been ten years!’ dad says. ‘Please, let it go. I’m not overfeeding Kal anymore.’

It has been an ongoing joke, every time my dad gives Kal a little snack, at least one of the entire Cavill Clan says something along the lines of that we have to hide the other snacks.

‘But anyways,’ grandma says, ‘I am so happy that now we are this big and happy family. It’s all I really wanted.’

Everyone takes a deep breath, because we all realize that it could’ve gone so differently. I clear my throat and say: ‘I got my English essay back and got myself a hundred out of a hundred points.’

‘Shut up!’ uncle Piers says. ‘You got a perfect score? When was the last time something like that happened with us?’

‘None of you boys ever got a perfect score,’ grandpa Colin says. He sometimes can’t remember how to use the remote, what my sisters or my name is, but this he knows.

‘Anyways,’ I say, ‘it does have something to do with what happened ten years ago. I mean, becoming officially a Cavill has been the greatest thing ever. I watched my life do a complete one eighty and though I have to thank my dad for that, there is one woman who absolutely changed my life and is such a wonderful role model for not only me, but also my sisters, that I decided to write my essay about my mom.’

Mom’s eyes widen, before she scrunches up her nose. ‘Why?’

This is such a typical reaction from her, so I cannot stop my laugh. ‘Because mom, you are amazing. Everything that I have, started with you. Everything I understand, I do, I think about, is because of the way you took care of me and raised me. I know that I tell you this a lot, but mom, I love you so so much and everything you did for me, it’s so admirable. I owe so much to you.’

Mom clears her throat. ‘Oh sweetie,’ she mumbles. ‘You don’t owe me anything.’

‘You did so well, mom,’ I whisper. ‘I’m so lucky to have been raised by you.’

She grabs my hand and gives me a loving squeeze. ‘Sweetheart, could you come with me for a second?’

The two of us walk inside of the house, as we hear conversation strike up behind us. The second we are out of sight, she wraps her arms around me. This is what she always does, not wanting to cry in front of the other Cavills, always going to a secluded place. ‘I love you, Vanessa,’ she whispers. ‘I think I’ve done a pretty good job with you.’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘You did an excellent job, mom. You are honestly the biggest power house I’ve ever met.’

‘Could you imagine what would’ve happened if Belle was able to baby sit you?’ mom asks. ‘Because you, my love, charmed yourself a way into your father’s heart.’

I chuckle. ‘I kinda did, didn’t I?’

Mom smiles, as she holds tightly onto my hands. ‘I know you always thank me for giving you the family you always wanted, but remember: if you weren’t so instantly in love with your dad, I don’t know if I had given it a shot to be honest.’

That is such a weird thought, I think to myself. I always stop myself when I want to think about the ‘what ifs’ and my entire family never really brought it up. Maybe when I was younger, but never with me. But what if indeed I were to stay over at Belle’s place, I would’ve never known that Henry was there probably. Imagine the life that we would’ve had. Maybe I had given my biological father Wesley a chance and then I didn’t have my three wonderful sisters.

‘What are you two doing here? Poor Trey is being questioned by Niki, Charlie and grandpa and the old man is not holding back.’ My dad walks in and though he has reached the ripe age of forty eight, he is still the tall and bulked up man that I met in the examination room. He is still the man that loved me like I was his own.

‘Just thanking my daughter for being such a lovely girl, who charmed her way into your heart.’

‘Oh, you sure did,’ dad says with a smile. ‘My lovely sunshine, I love you so much and I can’t believe it’s been more than ten years since I met you and your mom.’ He wraps his arms around us and says: ‘Though I still feel the fear of Kal vomiting on the carpet with blood, I am so grateful that you picked up and the other clinics didn’t.’ He presses a kiss on my mom’s forehead.

‘Dad, when did you realize you were in love with mom?’

‘Well, I told myself that I shouldn’t have a crush on someone that I barely knew,’ dad says, ‘but I can tell you that deep down in my heart I knew that this beautiful woman stole my heart the second she said the seven words that I’ll never forget. _Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat._ ’

≫≫≪≪

## Bonus instagram posts:

> _Elodie and Vanessa_

> _Elodie with Olivia_

> _Pregnant with twins!_

> _Pre teen Vanessa showing Henry that he is an actual boomer_

> _Chloe and Heather_

> _Vanessa as a teenager_

> _Elodie as a teenager_

> _Chloe and Heather as teenagers_


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